The Church of St Mary at Abbeytown, all that remains of Holm Cultram Abbey, has been badly damaged by fire.
The blaze began around 4.45pm on Friday, June 9, 2006, a very hot day. Fire crews from Maryport, Silloth, Wigton and Aspatria were called to the scene.
They entered the church wearing breathing apparatus but were unable to prevent the fire spreading to the roof which collapsed completely around 7pm.
All but one of the stained glass windows have been saved. The magnificent east window is largely undamaged, as is the annex which houses most of the important grave slabs and carvings.
The damage to the interior is extensive and has been estimated at £2m. The building was insured but it is not thought that this will cover the entire cost of restoration which could take up to three years to complete.
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Following the fire, six teenagers were arrested, five were released but one, 17-year-old Shane Walker of Solway Street, Silloth, was charged with arson and the theft of £5 from the church. He appeared at Carlisle Crown Court on September 5 and pleaded guilty. Judge Alan Taylor described the fire that destroyed the Grade 1 listed building as “an offence of considerable enormity.”
Walker appeared again on November 7 after the court had considered psychiatric reports. He was sentenced to four years detention. Judge John Phillips told him “Not only have you destroyed a national treasure – you have also severely damaged an entire community.”
On the morning of June 9, Elsie MacDonald, a pensioner and long-term Church helper, had been looking after the mourners at a large funeral in the church. She went home for her lunch, leaving the collection box in the vestry. When she returned, she found a window had been smashed and saw smoke pouring from the roof; Walker and another young man were jumping over the churchyard wall. She called the police and fire brigade.
Walker had used the money from the collection box to buy a bottle of Vodka from a local shop. He had become very aggressive and went back to the church, looking for communion wine. He threw a fire extinguisher through a stained glass window and then noticed a box of matches in the vestry which he used to set fire to a white robe hanging there. The fire spread quickly, the boy panicked and fled.
At court, it emerged that Walker had thirteen previous criminal convictions. He had also been cautioned, when he was just 12, for setting fire to a telephone box. His solicitor asked the judge to consider the youth’s obvious and immediate remorse; his first request to the lawyer had been “Can I say sorry to the vicar?”
The judge said “You are the kind of person who behaves in a criminally reckless fashion when you are drunk, as you often are.”
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On Sunday, June 11, the vicar, the Rev. David Tembey, celebrated the regular morning service on the green in front of the abbey.
He said it was a time to look forward and not to dwell on things that were in the past.
The Sunday School also met on the grass.
The service concluded with a baptism. A stone carved by the Cistercians was used as a font. Until then it had been a muggy, cloudy morning but the sun came out for Ashton Samuel!
A Message from the Vicar Dear Friends, The Abbey is now empty, clean and made safe. The contractors have left us and the architect and loss adjusters have moved in with a view to replacing the roof by next Autumn (but anything can happen in the meantime). Unfortunately this means that the building will be open to the elements over the winter. We are holding services in the adjacent rooms and everyone is in good heart. Thank you for your prayers David Tembey |