Tower Repairs – Fundraising

Summary

Ewan Christian, the architect, had quoted £265 in 1864 for “The restoration of Walls, Windows, Battlements, Turrest etc, including repairs to roof”, and £20 for “a new ringing Floor in Tower and a Ceiling under the Bell frames”. The full quotation is available here. By 1884, an item for “Re-hanging fine Peal of Bells” at £125 had been added to the list (see for example here).
In 1886, the vicar used the publicity around the fall of the church tower at St Michael at Thorn in Norwich to alert people to the possibility of the same happening to the tower in Deopham. In particular, he lays it on with the Ecclesiastical Commissioners that the fall of the tower would damage the chancel: the Commissioners would understand that they would then have to carry the cost of repairs to the chancel.
At the same time as emphasising the disaster that would result from a fall of the tower in 1886, the vicar mentioned that “an ominous crack however extends 34 feet downward from the North Side which is most dangerous”. In 1888, the letter sent with a begging circular stated that “There exists a crack in our grand tower which now extends 41 feet down its North West face seriously menacing the safety of the whole fabric”.
Following a letter to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners in 1890, the vicar, the Rev. Hibbert Wanklyn, received a promise from them to contribute £10. The vicar clearly thought that this was disappointing and wrote again in June asking whether they could not be a little more generous.
A further printed circular dated 1891 states that the sums needed were £501 for the Tower, West Doorway and Window plus £125 for re-hanging the bells.

Circular – August 1884

Circular – June 1885

Rev. Wanklyn to Ecclesiastical Commissioners November 1886

The following letter accompanied the above copy of the circular from 1885:

Deopham Vicarage
Nov 9^th 1886

My Lords & Gentlemen,
The lamented fall of the tower of the Church of S^t Michael at Thorn¹ in Norwich has emboldened me again to address you on the apparently never ending subject of the magnificent tower of this Church which I fear is in great danger. To minimise the risk, under advice, I have caused the ornamental work at the top of the four Octagonal Turrets to be taken down to the lead roofing of the same.
An ominous crack however extends 34 feet downward from the North Side which is most dangerous. Should the Tower fall from its great height there can be little doubt that not only the newly beautifully restored roofs of the Nave & Aisles would be destroyed but it is probable that that of the Chancel would not escape this. Enormous damage would be inflicted & the Church again closed for Divine Worship.
No one can be more grateful than I am for what you have already done and I hope you will pardon me if I say that not only the parish but the whole county look to you to help to save this grand monument of the piety of our Ancestors from utter destruction. To my increasing applications for aid I constantly receive reply “Go to the Ecclesiastical Commissioners – they draw out of the parish annually over £470 for the Great Tithes & rent of land. In this they have truly to keep the Chancel in repair farther only moral obligations due to the Parish”. I can only say say how grateful we are to you for what you have done and though times are bad for all – yet most humbly beseech you to save us from such a catastrophe as happened in Norwich last week.
I remain
Your obedient humble servant
Hibbert Wanklyn
Vicar

The letter has a postscript which reads as follows:

The refitting interior marked with a Star on Mr Christian’s report might be omitted save for the cost of a new pulpit to replace the temporary deal one, thus £450 would be saved.

Circular

The following fragment is missing the first page which would have shown the highest value donations. It is of interest nonetheless.

Circular – November 1887

Image courtesy of Lambeth Palace Library

Letters Accompanying Circular – May 1888

Deopham Vicarage
May 14^th 1888

St Andrew’s Church Deopham

My Lords and Gentlemen,
May [I] entreat you to be so good as to read this letter and the papers sent with it, and then, if possible, help me to save this noble Church, and the result of seven years incessant labour from utter destruction. Nothing save the extreme urgency of the case would induce me again to intrude upon you, but I am […] warned to be prompt in my movements if I would avert such a catastrophe as befel a church in Norwich about a year since for want of timely repair.
There exists a crack in our grand tower which now extends 41 feet down its North West face seriously menacing the safety of the whole fabric. Also, the framework of our old Bells, one a Pre-Reformation one, is in such a decayed state that it is marvellous it supports their enormous weight. Should the Tower fall and in spite of all the precautions ordered having been taken, [if] we had every [heavy?] wind, we shall not only lose it, one of the finest specimens in the country, but the roofs and the windows of the Clerestory, Nave and Aisles must be completely crushed and evden the walls much injured. All these were fully restored and the Nave re-opened after having been closed those years in 1883-4, the cost of the works exceeding £2331 collected by me with seven years labour.
I seem to have completely exhausted all the resources of the neighbourhood and the County and now in my sore distress hardly know where to turn hence this letter to your Lordships.
Formerly I used to send out lists of kind contributions but the expenses of my seven years have been so great that I have ceased to have them printed.
Our Rt Rev^d and Honourable Diocesan has most kindly promised me a third donation of £25 to this last portion of the Restoration.
Our late and much lamented rural Dean the Rev^d Maynard Wodehouse Currie a donor of £45 told me just before his last illness that he considered the restoration of our old Oak Nave Roof the best piece of Church work he had ever seen, and I can assure your Lordships that (DV²) the same care shall be exercised in this the last part of the work.
The Crown per Office of Woods have also promised a farther donation of £38 to the work having already contributed £144 …
I have now but £33 in the Bank having this day sent the Contractors a cheque for £60 on account of work done on the Porch.
I most humbly entreat your Lordships to help me to complete this great work. You will see by the Builder’s report that the various portions should be done at one and the same time but I cannot order a commencement as I dare not incur any debt. Committing the case to your kind consideration,
I remain
My Lords & Gentlemen
Your Obedient Servant
Hibbert Wanklyn
Vicar

From a document held by the Lambeth Palace Library, reference file 27377.
Transcription © G. Sankey

The following letter, which is not in the Rev. Wanklyn’s handwriting, is a shortened version of the above letter: it is probably that which was sent to all those from funds were requested. Both letters were received at the office of the Ecclesiastical Commissioners on the same date (May 15^th 1888).

Image courtesy of Lambeth Palace Library

Circular – February 1890

Image courtesy of Lambeth Palace Library

Letter from Rev. Wanklyn to Ecclesiastical Commissioners – May 1890

The Rev. Wanklyn’s writing is difficult at the best of times and this document has suffered damage to the right hand side; nevertheless, its meaning remains clear:

Deopham Vicarage
Wymondham
May 1890

My Lords & Gentlemen,
I hope that you will pardon me for once more bringing before your notice the case of our fine old Church and afford me the much needed assistance to complete the long work.
I fear you will be tired of hearing about it as from its nature I must be somewhat egotistical. I believe that it was in 1881 that I commenced the work of collecting funds to restore this large edifice – it was then in such a state that we were compelled to prevent people from sitting in parts of the Nave, the roof being unsafe. Since that time, we have never been a year without doing something. In 1883 the Nave was re opened and our late and much lamented Rural Dean the Rev^d Maynard Wodehouse Currie [Rector of Hingham] pronounced the roof to be the best piece of Church Restoration he had ever seen. Other works have been accomplished since ….
I most earnestly implore your Lordships to help me complete this immensely needed work. My finish is a very fine one [?] and my people have helped to the utmost of their power. The tower is one of the finest in the County and well worth the attention of everyone.
I have apparently exhausted all the resources of the County and indeed have left no stone unturned to raise funds and been so far successful as to collect and expect more than £2400 not one farthing of which has been unnecessarily done, no ornamentations or […] have been attempted and every bit of old stone-work, which was considerable, has been re-used.
I acknowledge, with gratitude, the assistance your Lordships have afforded me, and most earnestly beg you to take the costs again into your consideration. Our Honourable R^t Rev^d Diocesan has been a most kind helper and took great interest in the work.
I am most desirous to prevent any damage occurring from the fall of stones from the tower. We have taken down two of the corner turrets by advice to lessen the danger.
Sincerely trusting that your Lordships will give my appeal a favourable consideration,
I remain
Your Obedient Servant
Hibbert Wanklyn
Vicar

Response from Rev. Wanklyn to Ecclesiastical Commissioners – June 1890

It appears that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners offered to contribute £10 which the Rev. Wanklyn obviously thought was rather mean of them considering he needed at least £626. He wrote back on June 13^th 1890 as follows:

Deopham Vicarage
Wymondham
June 13^th 1890

My Lords,
I have the honour to acknowledge the receipt of Mr Porter’s letter of the 10^th of June informing me that the Ecclesiastical Commissioners are prepared to grant a further sum of £10 to the completion of the Restoration of this grand old Church which has now been eight years in hand and to effect which I have collected and expended nearly £2500. While thanking your Lordships for the same and gratefully acknowledging the assistance I have received from you towards this work, permit me humbly to express my disappointment at the sum further granted for the completion of this which will cost not less than £626. I have several promises of help, some if there is a probability of the work being accomplished, and one this morning from our worthy Diocesan promising me a 3^rd donation of £25 if I collect £450 in this present year…

Circular November 1891

The £67 for restoring the porch that was in the 1890 circular has been dropped off this latest appeal.

Footnotes

The following description of the fall of the tower at St Michael at Thorn was published in the Norfolk Chronicle of November 6^th 1886:

↩︎
Deo Volente = God Willing ↩︎

Date	Change
15/4/24	Published