Some significant projects aided or provided by
the Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church

Listing of those commemorated in the Church and Churchyard
Parish Church Clock
Parish Church as a venue for the Community
Leatherhead War Memorials Project
Listed Monuments
Repair of the Porch Roof
Churchyard Paths Renewal
There to help in an emergency
Thomas Parker Organ

 

courtesy Leatherhead Advertiser

The Parish Church Clock - September 2002 Helena Hill (Churchwarden) Many of you will have noticed the absence of the Church tower clock during June and July. It has now been put safely back in place by steeplejacks Peter Harknett and Adam "Stumpy" Geddes and looks resplendent with its newly painted and re-gilded face. We are very grateful to the Friends of Leatherhead Parish Church for initiating this work and especially to two of the Friends who have made major donations towards the costs involved - Alice Davies and Joan Ralph, in memory of their late husbands Barnaby and Leslie. Both Barnaby and Leslie were former members of the Friends' committee. It is good that they should be commemorated in this way as it is just the sort of project they would have enjoyed and supported.

 

The Parish Church as a venue for the Community We contributed to the upgrading of the sound system which includes a loop system for the hard of hearing. This makes this historic venue more suitable for a wider range of events. Re-siting of the 15th Century Font Changes in the layout of the church involved moving the Font, to which we contributed significantly. The re-arrangement takes baptisms into the airy and light area in front of the massive West window and has permitted the development of the Chapel of Remembrance.

 

Leatherhead War Memorials Project Moving the Font made space for the creation of a Chapel of Remembrance and Hope, through the generosity of several parishioners and with the involvement of the Royal British Legion. This Chapel includes the Book of Remembrance, the pages of which are turned daily. The name boards from Leatherhead's original War Memorial are behind the altar.

Chapel of Remembrance & Hope

Leatherhead War Memorials Project The Friends are playing a key part in the Leatherhead War Memorials Project to research all who were from Leatherhead who fell in the service of their country.

 

Listed Monuments There are over a score of  Listed Monuments in the churchyard. We made a donation to enable work to be planned on the restoration of those most needy of repair.

a brick 'barrel' grave in need of repair

 

Repair of the Porch Roof A contribution towards the repair of the Porch roof helped to ensure the soundness of this entrance on the North side, through which many generations have passed since it was built in the 15th century.

 

Churchyard Paths Renewal We take the view that a churchyard that is accessible is more likely to be visited and cared for than one which is not. At the end of 1999, as planned, we completed the next major stage in our paths renewal program, working closely with the PCC. The paths are kept clear with the help provided by the working parties.

making the churchyard accessible

 

There to help in an emergency With an ancient building you never know what may happen next, so we always like to have a contingency fund to allow urgent work - within our charitable remit - to be done. This occurred when the extent of repairs needed to the roof of the North Transept became evident. Our late Chairman Ron Presley OBE is seen with the Vicar, who received a cheque for £800 towards this urgent work. Soon afterwards in 2002 we found ourselves fund rasing to get repairs done to the Church Tower - which had been repaired only 30 years previously!

(edited from text and photo as provided to the Leatherhead Advertiser)

 

Re-creation of the Thomas Parker Organ The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) awarded a grant of £183,500 - some 90% of the estimated total cost of significantly restoring, and bringing into use an 18th Century Georgian Organ at Leatherhead Parish Church, St. Mary & St. Nicholas. The other 10% - a further £20,000 - had to be raised in order to fully fund this project. The fundraising activities were organised by The Friends.

more updating to come