Sadness as church cross falls from roof at Easter

Church officials say they are hopeful of replacing a large stone cross that fell from the roof at Easter.

Philip Wallis, treasurer at the Church of St Mary and St Gabriel, in Binbrook, Lincolnshire, said the 5ft (1.5m) cross "tumbled" down on a windy evening and was "somewhat vaporised".

"At the time we celebrate the crucifixion and all that sort of stuff, our cross fell off the church," Wallis said. "It was somewhat weird."

The church was built in 1869 and Wallis said original plans could be used to create an identical replacement.

The cross damaged part of the roof and hit a granite memorial as it fell from the top of the nave.

Wallis said he was "very sad" when he saw the aftermath: "We try to do so much with the church and it was just an additional problem to deal with."

Talks with the building's insurer were under way and he was "optimistic" an "identical" cross could be created using "all the original drawings from when the church was built in 1869".

"We'll get another one made-up," he added. "So there is hope."

The Victorian, grade II-listed church was designed by architect James Fowler, of Louth, and is regarded as his "gothic masterpiece", according to Wallis.

Members of the community were "very disappointed" by the loss of the cross, he added.

"They know how much effort we put into looking after the church.

"This is just a bit of a whammy that we weren't expecting."

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