Shortly before Christmas, our Group completed a significant piece of work in the Old Churchyard, Vicarage Hill. The surface through the lychgate had remained unchanged since the 19th century and was rough, stony and muddy in bad weather. With the agreement of all parties concerned we have now replaced this with paving which has been generously funded by a donation from John Maddox in memory of his wife, Wendy Maddox, who died on 22nd April 2018. Wendy had collated information about those who are buried in the churchyard, as well as other extensive local history research throughout the area.
Finding a source for the recovered York stone required was not easy but successfully achieved by Noel Moss. Many members contributed to the work but it could not have been achieved without the expertise and tools provided by two of our members. The first is Bryan Snashall shown in the picture mixing cement. The other is Charles Fearnley who worked out how to install a new cast iron gate stop acquired from the Kiln Forge to replace the former broken item. Both gates down swing clear of the ground which was not the case before. Also pictured is the finished work, which has successfully blended in to the historic site already.
We hope that this improvement will encourage more people to visit this peaceful unspoilt part of The Bourne. BCG has for some years been responsible for looking after the site, during which time we have removed many overgrown and invasive plants. We have aimed to make The Old Churchyard more welcoming to both people and wildlife, while respecting the historic nature of the site and the memory of those buried there.