The Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn’s Tower Restoration

The Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn left the restoration of the tower until last; the chancel, roofs, nave and aisles had been tackled first (see the full list here).

The details of the Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn’s fundraising for the tower restoration are recorded here. The final circular of November 1891 stated that there was £29 in the bank against the £626 + 10% needed for the works – i.e. £688.

It would seem that despite the vicar’s dramatic statements about the imminent collapse of the tower with the consequent destruction of the church by the falling debris, nothing was achieved during his incumbency which ended with his death in 1895. The Kelly’s Directory of 1892 stated that “the estimated cost of the restoration of the tower is £750”. The directories of 1896, 1900 and 1904 contain exactly the same estimate, clearly implying that the work had not been carried out. The directories of 1908, 1912 and 1916 made no mention at all of the tower needing any work. The 1925 directory referred to the restoration work in 1884 and then stated simply “the porch and tower have since been restored”. This is consistent with the image of the tower from 1923 showing scaffolding for the work in progress.

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