Radley church reopened on Saturday 14 February 2009 following nine months of repair work to deal with the extensive damage caused by death watch beetle. Fund-raising events and generous donations from the village helped to raise much of the money needed (over £180,000). A legacy and grants from the Oxfordshire Historic Churches Trust of £20,000 made up the rest. During an Open Day on Saturday 14 February, over 300 people visited the Church to see the new floor, chairs, pews, etc. The new chairs and pews feature the St James cross, which is also seen on the beautiful communion table in matching wood given to the Church. The sunlight streamed through the stained glass windows and the Church appeared full of light. The Open Day began with a peal of bells at 10 am – the first of the special activities each hour on the hour including a beetle hunt, the choir, prayers and readings.Refreshments were served throughout the day in the Church Room where there was also an exhibition on the history of the Church by Radley History Club and of the photographs taken by the vicar, Rev. Pam McKellen, during the building work. |
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The Church had been closed for repair work since 2 June 2008. A survey by the church architect, Robert Montgomery, had highlighted three crucial problem areas:
Fortunately the chancel and balcony had not been attacked by the death watch beetle. While the Church was closed, services had been held in the Church Room and the school hall, apart from those of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day which took place in the Church with temporary seating and special arrangements for music. The first services were held in the reopened church on Sunday 15 February and the Bishop of Reading reordered the Church at a special service on Sunday 1 March. |
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Commemorative plaque | New seating |
Work had included:
Rayners Contractors Ltd of Abingdon carried out the main building works. The organ pipes and organ parts not affected were stored locally, while the damaged and more fragile parts were taken to London to the workshops of Bishop & Son for repair. The organ has been returned to its original location in the south transept though positioned slightly further back. An appeal was launched in April 2008 to raise funds for the repair work. The appeal was Major fund-raising events included:
But fund-raising is not over yet as some minor works remain. Details of how to make a donation to the Beetle Fund are given on the Church website. Alternatively contact Rev. Pam McKellen, The Vicarage, Radley, Oxfordshire OX14 2JN (Tel: 01235 554739; email p.mckellen@btinternet.com). |