Churchyard wall appeal

My name is Rowan and I am the current Church Warden for our beautiful 13th century anglican church, located in the stunning but tiny mid Devon village of Broadwoodkelly, Devon, UK . I am asking for your help to fund the restoration work needed desperately on our churchyard wall, that suddenly deteriorated and became unstable, resulting in its partial collapse in 2023.

The church has a regular congregation of around twenty souls, and has a wonderful Friends group that does fundraising for the church. However, the small size of the parish means there is a limit on how much can be raised each year, and whilst we have some of the required amount,there have never been sufficient funds available for this kind of large problem.

Owing to its dangerous state we have had to dismantle much of the wall that was condemned and start the work, knowing that we have insufficient funds. Being short of finance may cause the project to stop for some time, unless we can encourage some benefactors to assist financially. The sum we need to raise is £20,000.

The church has raised £8000, and a donor has paid for all of the materials to date, and two local contributors have worked for free alongside the stonemason, in preparing the site. This will cover approximately £15,000, which will go some way towards the £35,000 anticipated total cost.

It is at this point that I ask for you to help us in whatever way you can. All donations will be accounted for correctly and will only be spent on the wall restoration project. We really would be incredibly relieved and grateful if help is forthcoming.

Below is the rough history of the church and some photographs for you to see what we are trying to achieve. Work has started on the wall, and the retainer has been raised to ground level. The original stone is then going to be tied into the wall, so that esthetically it will look like the ancient churchyard wall we have replaced.

The first recorded rector was Peter de Fishacre in 1261, who expanded the chapel, and in the 16th and 17th centuries the tower, south aisle and porch were added.

Major renovations were carried out in 1832, when a new roof was put on. It's grand reopening was in 1868.

It has a has a dual light stained glass window in its north wall, which was created in 1523, and is believed to have survived the reformation by being hid, only to be replaced at some later time. A service of commemoration was held last year for its 500th anniversary.

The large octagonal font stands in front of the tower arch. Its 16th century design has circles and figures carved into the hard granite stone. The tower that rises from behind the font has three stages. The vestry is in the base and there is a platform above to house the ropes for the bell ringers. There is a narrow stone stairway that spirals up the tower to the the bell housing, before exiting onto a platform with the four pinnacles at the top of the tower.

The original five bells were made by Abraham Rudhall of Gloucester in 1705, but in 1913 the wooden frame structure holding the bells, and the poor condition of a couple of them was of great concern and considered dangerous, so were dismantled. The contract to recast the bells and create a sixth bell was given to Messrs. Gillett and Johnston of Croydon, London, UK. A brand new steel H-frame was made to take the weight of the new bells, which attracted many ringing teams from all over Devon to come and ring in commemoration of the dedication.

The church also has an organ that once stood in the cloisters of Westminster Abby, built by Telford and Telford in 1760. In 1873 it was gifted to the church by Lord John Thynne (1798 - 1881 ), who was the Sub-Dean of Westminster Abby from 1831 to 1881.

I feel proud of how this church remains a place of worship, tranquility and meditation within our small parish. Especially at a time when many of UK's small rural churches are closing. The churchyard has many ancient headstones, and in various places there are wild flower meadow patches and a nature trail, to encourage our outstanding British wildlife. We have won the Bronze Eco Church award, and are working towards the Silver award. This recognises how well the church and its community are working towards a net zero carbon footprint.

It is my honour as a Church Warden to be custodian, along with the Parochial Church Council of All Hallows Church. I pray that it serves our community for many centuries to come.