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| Stone Formation Archive 1997 |
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 Stone Formations news, views, gallery and archive brought to you by Weird Wiltshire Introduction Latest News News Archive Stonehenge Stonehenge Project Stonehenge 360 Avebury Saviours Stones Village Solstice Wayland Smithy Long Barrow Woodhenge Gallery Summer Solstice Gallery 2002 Summer Solstice Gallery 2004 Postcards Wallpaper Links  |
First published on April 10, 1997 A DISSENTERS' chapel lying within the mystical stone circle at Avebury has been put on the map by English Heritage. The 17th century United Reform Church at Avebury was built from sarsen stone taken from within the circle and was founded in 1670 at a time of civil and religious unrest. It is included on the map produced by English Heritage to celebrate examples of the country's Christian past which includes chapels, churches, abbeys and cathedrals. Its inclusion has delighted the present minister, the Rev Bert Jones, who has been involved with Avebury United Reformed Church since 1970 and was officially appointed two years later."I'm thrilled to bits," he said. "We've been struggling here for 25 years. This is like a little crown and means more people will come and see it." Mr Jones travels twice a month from his home in Priors Hill, Wroughton, to preach at the chapel in the shadow of the stones. But in recent years the chapel, which is a listed building, has struggled against the creeping tide of age. During the 1970s Mr Jones, 69, started a restoration fund to try to get it repaired. "People used to sit there with the snow coming through the windows and on one occasion the organist went through the floor," he recalled. "I had to put chipboard down to stop the rotting." Then seven years ago English Heritage agreed to restore the chapel. It spent £100,000 on repairs, although work remains to be done on crumbling wood in the balcony and the ceiling still needs replastering. Mr Jones proudly points out that this is the only United Reformed Church on the English Heritage map. "I think it has been included as it lies in this unique position within the stone circle and English Heritage spent money on it," he said. Back to 1997 index |
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