A bright future is on the horizon for a historic village church which has now had its roof replaced following a devastating fire.
A topping out ceremony was held at St Mary’s Church in Beachamwell on Friday, with church figures, councillors and villagers gathering under glorious sunshine to take a look at the restored building.
The church was ravaged by a fire in early 2022, with a spark from welding work igniting in the thatched roof and tearing through the building - which is more than 1,000 years old.
After a period of work to stabilise the structure and remove the church bells, efforts to revamp the roof kicked off last October.
Large trusses weighing around 500kg were lifted high into the air to construct a new ceiling, before metal sections were put onto the south aisle.
Spirits were high at the church on Friday as those in attendance celebrated the monumental achievement.
Peter Berendt, one of two churchwardens at St Mary’s, told the Lynn News: “It is an amazing day. All we have got to do is look at all these people who have turned out.
“It has been an opportunity to show them what we have been up to.”Mr Berendt was joined by Rev Ian Mack, The Venerable Richard Harlow, Lord Richard Dannatt and Cllr Peter Wilkinson, who represents Beachamwell on Breckland Council.
Delivering a speech outside the church, Lord Dannatt praised the hard work of contractors employed to fix up the building \- while he also thanked Ecclesiastical Insurance, the insurer from which many of the funds required for the project were delivered.
Lord Dannatt said: “It is fantastic to see the thatched roof of St Mary’s Church behind me.
“I think it is really exciting that the whole church, particularly the interior, will be reconstructed in such a way that it can be used for so many purposes.
“There is no reason why the church can’t become the centre of village activities.
“Two years ago in the village of Beachamwell, the fire at St Mary’s was a real sadness. But I think two years on, as a result of everyone’s generosity, we are on the threshold of seeing a wonderful church being restored.
“One thousand years of history behind me, and one thousand years ahead of us hopefully. We look forward to a bright future.”
Villagers were given a look inside the church on Friday, which is still being revamped.
It is hoped it will be complete by this time next year, allowing it to host community events, exhibitions and concerts.
Cllr Wilkinson said: “It is one of my smaller villages and I care so much for it.
“When I came down at the fire, people were in tears - and I was in tears with them.
“It is a good start.”
Rev Mack added: “I’m absolutely delighted. This is the culmination of two years of extremely hard work.
“It is in the heart of the village. People were devastated at the loss of the building.
“It is very much the vibrant heart of the community that is Beachamwell.”
Meanwhile, villager Jeanne Swift, 79, who has lived in Beachamwell for more than 50 years, said: “It is a focal point in the village, which is why we are all so glad it is back.”
Paul Humphris, from Ecclesiastical Insurance, added: “I’m delighted to see the progress that has been made, and we are looking forward to seeing the project through to completion.”
St Mary’s had been closed for around two years leading up to the start of 2022 after lead was stolen from the building.
Two days before it was set to reopen, disaster struck. At the height of the blaze in 2022, dozens of firefighters were battling to contain the flames.
Now, two years later and with the written support of King Charles, the historic building is getting back to where it belongs.
Got a story? Email kris.johnston@iliffepublishing.co.uk