Newsletter May 2008
Trip to St Peter’s Chapel, Bradwell on Sea,
Maldon and Layer Marney Tower
Wednesday 11th June 2008
The Committee of the Friends is organising a day trip on Wednesday
11th June 2008 to the Dengie Peninsula to visit St
Peter’s Chapel at Bradwell on Sea and returning, via lunch in
Maldon, with a visit to Layer Marney Tower in the afternoon.
All members of the Friends, and anyone else who would like to
come, are welcome. Please contact Bill Wigglesworth (01787 210029),
Polstead Community Shop or any member of the Committee to book a
seat on the coach (tickets £10.00).
The itinerary will be as follows:
Leave Polstead ponds 09.00 (parking in Church car park)
Arrive St Peter’s Chapel 10.00 (walk of 2/3 mile from car park
to chapel)
Arrive Maldon Quay 12.30 (lunch at Queen’s Head)
Arrive Layer Marney 14.45 (entry to Tower £4.25)
Arrive back in Polstead 17.30
St Peter’s Chapel is on an isolated site at the
end of the Dengie Peninsula, with glorious views over the
Blackwater Estuary and out to sea. Just over the seawall is the
nature reserve of Bradwell Cocklebeds with nesting terns, oyster
catchers and other sea birds. The chapel is one of the oldest
buildings in East Anglia. It was founded by St Cedd, before
preaching at Polstead, around 653AD. Sam Block will be showing the
Friends party over the chapel and commenting on the building. The
nearby Othona Community have agreed to provide toilet and
refreshment facilities for our party, if required.
Maldon Quay is one of the picturesque old port
sights of East Anglia, with Thames barges moored alongside. The
Queens Head is on the quay, has excellent facilities and is reputed
to serve the “third best pub food in England”. (Snack menu £5.50;
Riverside menu £8.10 main course.)
Layer Marney Tower is the tallest Tudor gatehouse
in England and the the roof provides superb views of the
surrounding countryside and the Blackwater Estuary. There is a
tearoom, pleasant grounds and the church contains notable late
medieval tombs.
Further Activities
Later in the year the committee is hoping to be associated with
an autumn sporting event about which we will keep you informed in
due course.
The Annual General Meeting in the late autumn will again be
accompanied by a supper and we hope that there will be some musical
entertainment. More about this later.
Maintenance And Conservation At St Mary’s
Church
During 2007
Since the AGM in November, the internal plaster repair and full
redecoration of the church has been completed and the South aisle
has been carpeted following the relaying of the floor. As a result
the church is looking magnificent and is drawing many favourable
comments.
Altogether, the PCC spent just over £30,000 on maintenance and
repairs during 2007, most notably due to the generosity of Richard
and Lucy Barlett in donating the full cost of redecoration.
The Friends assisted by meeting the cost of the highly important
conservation work on the South aisle floor repair and the cost of
advice on conservation of the unique wall paintings, at a total
cost of £5,365. The Friends has also agreed to pay the cost of the
archaeological survey work, carried out during 2007 by the Suffolk
County Team, on the South aisle floor area inside the church and on
the area designated for extension of the churchyard, at a total
cost of £1,517.
During 2008
Further work in progress includes external plaster repair above
the chancel, repair of the flint and brick north wall of the
churchyard and repair of the collapsed Boutell chamber tomb. Work
on conserving the wall paintings, following redecoration, will also
be required, to which the Friends will also be contributing.
Future work
Taking advantage of the scaffolding required for redecoration, a
survey was carried out of the roof timbers in the church. This
revealed serious potential problems in the side aisles, where the
timbers are likely to require expensive repair in due course. In
addition, if planning permission is given for the proposed
extension of the churchyard, a condition is likely to be to carry
out a full archaeological survey to record the apparent remains of
the early Bronze Age hill top defensive site which was discovered
last year.
So it is clear that the help of the Friends will continue for
the foreseeable future to be vital to the preservation of our
lovely church and its surroundings.
W. R. B. W.
16 May 2008
Back
to Friends of Polstead
Church