FOSM grants given to St Mary’s PCC, towards fabric repair & restoration work
| Financial Year | Work undertaken | Spend |
|---|---|---|
| 2002/03 | Towards path repairs | £795 |
| 2003/04 | Renewal of perished windows | £1,267 |
| 2008/09 | Elimination of damp, and other repairs to vestry. First tranche towards boiler replacement | £21,000 |
| 2009/10 | Clock repair Boiler replacement, second tranche |
£195 £8,000 |
| 2010/11 | Weathervane repair Electrical works in Kingsmill Room |
£100 £1,000 |
| 2011/12 & 2012/13 | No requests for grants | £0 |
| 2013/14 | Repairs to Kingsmill room & tower roofs, plus gutter clearance | £5,817 |
| 2014/15 | Stonework on Kingsmill buttress, & repairs to west door, tower stairs & turret | £17,071 |
| 2016/17 | Towards complete overhaul of lighting and electrical systems | £32,500 |
| 2018/19 | Towards redecoration of the nave | £14,000 |
| 2019/20 | Towards re-roofing of the Lady Chapel Towards re-roofing of South Chancel |
£3,695 £4,180 |
| 2021/22 | For cleaning & repainting of plaque above west door Towards Kingsmill room drainage/damp elimination works |
£200 £20,000 |
| 2023/24 | Refurbishment of the Belcote | TBC |
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TOTAL CONTRIBUTED BY FOSM TO DATE £129,820
Refurbishment of the Belcote
On the top roof of St Mary’s church tower is a small wooden framework that supports the bell that the church clock strikes on the hour. This structure is called a belcote, or bellcote. The belcote, and the mechanism to strike the clock’s bell, is out in all weathers and over the years had sustained a substantial amount of weathering, especially on the side most exposed to the prevailing winds.
The wooden structure was heavily weathered and rapidly deteriorating, and all the ironwork was severely rusted. Accordingly, St Mary’s Parochial Church Council, with the financial support of Friends of St Mary’s, decided it was time for a large scale refurbishment.
All of the metal was disassembled, removed from site, cleaned, primed and painted. The wooden structure was largely dismantled and all damaged wood was replaced. Then the structure was re-erected, the bell rehung with all its mechanism reassembled.
A happy day when St Mary’s church clock, once again, tolled the hours of the day for Kingsclere villagers.
Before
After
Refurbished plaque above the west door.
In 2020 Mr Alan Denness, a founding member, organised the refurbishment of the plaque containing part of a poem by Christina Rossetti (1830-1894). The work took two days and was carried out in situ by stonemason Dave Spencer of Grave Concerns, Andover.
The full poem was composed July 16, 1858 and appeared in her 1893 Verses.
They lie at rest, our blessed dead;
The dews drop cool above their head,
They knew not when fleet summer fled.
Together all, yet each alone;
Each laid at rest beneath his own
Smooth turf or white allotted stone.
When shall our slumber sink so deep,
And eyes that wept and eyes that weep
Weep not in the sufficient sleep?
God be with you, our great and small,
Our loves, our best beloved of all,
Our own beyond the salt sea-wall.
Source: PotW.org
Project photos
Photos from project work: 2019/20 Roof repairs to the Lady Chapel and South Chancel. 2018/19 Redecoration of the Nave.
