Service to mark re-opening of fire-hit church

On Saturday October 12, Whatlington’s St Mary Magdalene Church will hold a ‘Harold Service’ to commemorate the life and legacy of Harold Godwinson, the last Anglo-Saxon King of England and pay respect to the thousands of English people who died in 1066.

Local tradition maintains that on the eve of the Battle of Hastings, Harold heard a Christian mass in a chapel reputed to be on the site of the current church in Whatlington.

It is hoped that the service will become an annual event to remember Whatlington’s unique history and celebrate the reopening of Whatlington Church which was badly damaged by fire in 2010.

The service will start at 10am with the centrepiece being the blessing of an Anglo-Saxon flag and floral tribute to be laid at the Harold Stone in Battle Abbey later in the day.

There will also be appropriately themed hymns and readings to evoke the ‘spirit of 1066’.

The fire began in the organ loft of St Mary Magdalene Church on the afternoon of July 15, 2010.

When the west window collapsed, the high winds quickly spread the flames through a void in the roof space, causing considerable damage.

A church has stood on the site since before the Conquest and it is likely that the original building was burned down by the Normans.

The present building dates from the 13th century and was restored and modernised by the Victorians in 1862.