Regeneration Project....

The dusty work is now complete and Saturday saw the fantastic volunteers turn up to clean St Mary & St Giles so as to be fit for the worship of Almighty God.

The floor at the west end of the centre aisle has been removed in preparation for the new floor to be laid surrounding the font. The new York Stone paving which will surround the circular floor beneath the font began to be laid today. The dais for the Blessed Sacrament Chapel altar is in place, the Comper Reredos is now in place and the Tabernacle will be repositioned later this week. The Intercessions board, Chapel seating and New Lectern will arrive later this week. Tomorrow, the decorator arrives to stain the dais, the new oak panel beneath the Reredos, and to fill in the walls while the new electrical works have been installed.

Discovering that the south wall of the south aisle recess was plaster and lath came as a surprise, and it was really good that the sub-base beneath the former centre aisle paving was solid. As the stone mason told me: "Until you lift a floor in a church you never know what is beneath it."

Though having said that we do know that adjacent to that area there is a vault or remains of a crypt with a knight buried in his armour. Several local people testify to this as an RSJ was dropped on memorial in the floor in the 1960's and the remains could be seen off to one side. What makes this even more interesting is the link with the dedication of the church. Before being reconsecrated in the 1960's it was simply St Giles and like many churches under his patronage it was on a main road, on a street corner and on the route to the Crusades. St Gilles, in Provence, is on the Crusader route and his cult was brought back to England by the Crusaders. So who this Knight is we do not know and of course this generation may never know because the floor in that area of the church will probably not be lifted in our generation. But future generations may discover his remains - and the puzzle of why a Knight should be buried beneath the floor of this Parish Church may be solved.

Shortly, we are to have a life-size Icon of St Giles of Provence, Hermit in the north aisle recess. It is presently being "written" by Brother Leon Lidderment of the Brotherhood of St Seraphim at Walsingham.