Arundel church hit by storm damage

The weather vane on the spire of St Nicholas’ Church, in London Road, was snapped off by a gale-force gust and the church had to be closed to the public when part of a stained glass window was blown in.

The vicar, the Rt Revd David Farrer, received a phone call from staff at the neighbouring St Wilfrid’s Priory home, alerting him to the damage to the weather vane at around 11.30am on Tuesday (January 3).

At about the same time, someone cleaning the church suddenly heard the sound of glass falling and realised that some of the stained glass from the west window had come loose and was in danger of falling. The church was immediately closed to the public.

The storm damage comes as St Nicholas’ Church sets out with a programme of events to raise the £1m needed to fully restore the deteriorating stonework of the bell tower, and to carry out repairs to the roof, guttering and drainpipes, as rainwater is causing damage to the church’s interior.

Spokeswoman Alison Wilkinson said: “The damage to the west window means that we will now have to do significant work on the window, too.”

The west window was commissioned by the Rev George Augustus Frederick Hart who was vicar of St Nicholas for 29 years. It was completed in 1875 by Messrs Mayer of Munich at a cost of £400 raised by a subscription started by the women of the parish in 1874.

It is an unusual window as it conveys the full life of the church, which includes a priest instructing children, a priest at his porch delivering a loaf of bread to a poor man and a priest conducting the sacraments of the holy baptism and holy eucharist.

Mr Hart also founded the local Church of England School in 1853, now the public Library in Surrey Street. He was appointed “Chaplain in Ordinary” to Queen Victoria in 1848.

For more information about the church, the fund-raising project and the events planned for 2012, visit www.stnicholas-arundel.co.uk