Winter: a challenging time for completing surveys!

It’s my guess that the number of surveys for the LHAR project at this time of year is relatively low due to the uninviting weather conditions. I managed to complete quite a few during the milder weather during January but the recent snowfall and freezing temperatures have caused me to come to a halt for the time being! An interesting distraction recently (still with a heritage theme) was for me to attend a day of lectures about Sempringham Abbey at Billingborough, on St Gilbert’s Day, February 4^th. An informative poster display was sited in the village hall and because the outside temperature that day was -6C, the warm room and hot drinks on offer there were very welcome! As the lectures were presented in the nave of St Andrew’s church, Billingborough, it was just as well that most people had dressed in sensible winter clothing! Three interesting aspects of Sempringham Abbey and Saint Gilbert were given: the establishing of the abbey and the early years of its development, a report of archaeological finds at the abbey from different periods of history and a comprehensive account of Saint Gilbert as a sanctified individual and pioneering theologian.

Those who have visited my blog before will know of my on-going concerns regarding the theft of valuable metals from churches and other heritage sites. The topic continues to be regularly reported in the media. The latest example I noticed was a newspaper piece reporting that a section of lead guttering and a rainwater hopper had been ripped from a C16 building near Stratford (Halls Croft in Stratford upon Avon and is Jacobean but the rainwater goods stolen were early C18). 

The building has Shakespearian connections. In a television report, a Yorkshire scrap dealer had suffered theft of copper and other valuable metals from his own business premises. I understand that, as of next month, dealers in scrap metal will be required to make payment to customers via bank accounts rather than, as is often the case at present, “cash in hand”. Let’s hope that this measure will at least serve to discourage those who regard it as perfectly acceptable to rob churches of valuable items and be quickly remunerated for their efforts.

According to the latest LHAR newsletter just under 5,000 heritage sites now remain to be surveyed. I find the fact that so many have already been completed to be a remarkable achievement by committed volunteers. In this, the final year of LHAR, I wonder what will become of the sizeable volunteer “force” once the project is completed? I would like to think that, having demonstrated their worth in assisting with the project, perhaps some continued use of their potential could be found by the Lincolnshire Heritage Trust in the future. 


Colin, Heritage Steward