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PAGES FROM HISTORY
Time stood still as townsfolk
church disaster b y N a ta lie Cox
TIME once stood still in Clitheroe. In May, 1979, the hands of the parish
church clock came to rest in a gesture which was a poignant and stark reminder of a fire which had struck on a sunny after
noon causing widespread damage. On a Wednesday afternoon, two decades
ago, crowds gathered to watch as smoke bil lowed from the church, gradually spreading
over the town. At the height of the fire, flames could be seen through th e leaded windows above the children's corner. Ju s t a week later, a report in the
Clitheroe Advertiser and Times provided a vivid description of the fire's aftermath. The reporter painted a picture of the inte rior of Clitheroe Parish Church following the blaze: "Inside the church a cold draught blows over the heap of charred timbers, burnt out pews, and rubble in the children's corner where the fire started. Tarpaulin flaps sharply over the holes in the church roof and boards cover the leaded windows shattered by the intense heat." Although flame damage was confined to
just one area of the church interior and part of the roof, much of the building was damaged by heat, smoke, dirt and the water used by fire-fighters to douse the
flames. As well as damaging the fabric of the
church, the blaze also had a detrimental affect on the church organ. Within days of the blaze, a preliminary inspection of the instrument had been carried out, but to establish the full extent of the damage, spe cialists were asked to cany out an extensive piece-by-piece investigation of it. This problem prompted the then vicar, the Rev. John Hudson, to cancel all organ recitals
until further notice. Early reports indicated that the church
repairs would run up a bill of around £100,000, excluding work on the badly damaged organ. One of the positive images provided by
the whole incident is of community spirit. The proverb which says many hands make light work certainly rang true in Clitheroe in 1979, as many volunteers came forward to help move items from the church across
the street to the parish hall. The altar was placed on the stage and the building tem porarily transformed to hold church ser vices until the repairs were completed.
f- '•!
out at the parish church, a plea for pennies from heaven was launched in February 1980. At the time, the appeal was the biggest known in Clitheroe's history, with organisers aiming to raise £20,000 by the end of the year. The money was to be used to pay for extra work not covered by the church's fire insurance, including a new stone floor for the chancel, improvements to the church lighting and repairs to the
To enable restoration work to be earned
spire's pointing. In a letter to parishoners, the appeal
committee wrote: "We know how much many people in Clitheroe value the parish church and are keen that it should continue to be a lovely and worthy House of God. There has been a church on this site since 1122 and it is our generation's responsibili ty to see that we hand on to our childen a fine building where worship and other church activities can continue for genera
tions to come." When the final total was counted, the
figure collected for the restoration fund had exceeded all hopes and Canon Hudson, as
the vicar was by then, expressed his delight
at the efforts parishoners had made. Almost two years after the fire, Clitheroe
Parish Church was rehallowed by the Bish op of Blackburn, the Rt Rev. Robert Mar- tineau. Around 600 people who attended the 55-minute milestone service, were joined by civic heads, including the Mayor of the Ribble Valley, Coun. Miss Agnes Melling, the Mayor of Clitheroe, Coun. Leo Wells, and Clitheroe division MP Mr David Waddington QC. Everyone present at the service admired the work carried out by craftsmen and the additional items paid for by money raised by parishoners and
friends. A Millennium Message from John Lancaster and the Directors at Ultraframe. •: /-C* -. :-\'v.- :w p
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When I started the business back in 1983, never did I expect it to be where it is today. And yet, despite its success, it has remained very much a local business.
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It goes without saying that our success could not have been achieved without the hard work and dedication of the staff. One of my greatest satisfactions is to know that many of the staff still retain substantial personal wealth in the business through their employee share ownership and this has helped to maintain a committed and motivated team. In addition to the abundant supply of local talent, many people have moved to the
Ribble.Valley to join us because they appreciate its beauty and .quality of life and the opportunities that can be had at this internationally respected business. The attraction of outside talent combined with the characteristics of the local workers has combined to form a real team to be reckoned with.
Recognition of the depth and breadth of our experienced staff came when three "volunteers" were seconded to the new North American joint venture this time last year. In that time they have made a sizable contribution to the establishment of the new business in North America which is on the verge of. explosive growth. Vic de Zen, President and CEO of our North American joint venture partner
Royal Group Technologies in Toronto and 1998 Canadian spend Ip c a l ly /p IM p ™ch^smaller, day to day Businessman of the year, is to visit Clitheroe in January to ;ju r c h a s e s j i^ experience for himself the phenomena which is
■ examf>le|
Ultraframe. We expect to create further opportunities in Europe and North America through expansion'in the year A n f l /W W i i f . 2000.
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Ultraframe actively seeks visits by its customers to the Ribble Valley and they arrive from all over Europe and the UK, benefiting many local Guest House's and hotels. Over 1200 delegates / year attend the Ultraframe "School of Excellence", our in-house training facility.
Looking to the future, we will be spending around £6 million next year on buildings, machinery, computer equipment etc. - the same as last year. Work has already started on a new factory for our expanding Commercial Division and a new Head Office. This will incorporate excellent facilities' enabling IT / R&D departments to reach out to local schools, training the employees of tomorrow. This will greatly improve the links between Ultraframe and many local schools.
Although spending on buildings and machinery captures the headlines, much of what the company and our staff
Building Trade. --------------------
Finally, I am overwhelmed by the number of people throughout the Ribble Valley who have shown faith in what we are doing by becoming Ultraframe shareholders.
We are delighted that we have been able to give them an excellent return on their investment.
On behalf of the Directors and myself, I would like to thank our staff, suppliers, customers and shareholders for their support since we started this business. Rest assured, we still have very ambitious plans for the future. In this way, by continuing to develop and grow, the company will continue to contribute to the prosperity of the Ribble
Valley. ,
We would like to wish you a Happy New Year and a peaceful and successful start to the Millennium.
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Europes Leading Conservatory Systems Mnnytactiuerb i ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE In his introductory address, Canon Hud
son simply said: "This day is the culmina tion of many months of hard and dedicated work on the part of many people and we
are all very grateful." O In the parish magazine, a month after
the fire, Mr Hudson reproduced a state ment he had earlier made in the parish hall about the fire. In it he said the repair work would probably take many months, possi bly a year to complete. And, speaking about the fact tha t worship would take
place in the Parish Hall, Mr Hudson had these words for his congregation: "Finally,
may I say that I hope
this will not lead to a dropping-off of our congregation. In fact, in time of adversity such as this it ought to be all the stronger, and I look to you all to continue with your worship in these months, and to do everything you can to strengthen our church life until such time as we can return to our parish church. I t has, after all, been there for more than 850 years, so, in relation to that, one year out of its life does not seem quite so
bad." In fact it was to be.
two years before the rebuilding was com pleted and the church re-hallowed, and another three years before the organ was rebuilt and used. • Mr Leo Wells,
4
Inside the chu rch a cold drau
ght blows over the heap of charred
timbers, burnt out pews, and rubble in
the children’s corner where the fire start ed. Tarpaulin flaps sharply over the
who was Mayor of Clitheroe at the time the Parish Church was rehallowed, remem
bers the day of the fire well. He was a t work and can recall seeing
smoke coming from the roof of the church. He rang the fire brigade to raise the alarm, but was told that many other calls about the fire had already been rung through. Looking back he said: "It is amazing how such a small fire got away so quickly and
did so much damage."
holes in the church roof and boards cover the leaded windows shatt ered by the intense heat
9
p,?.® ha nds o f | I r l , th ?ro ? P a r ish
'Struck so suddenly on a .quiet sunny afternoon.
•Stnif’lf on msm -.7 7 »»vwu
®7er 'the holes in the church roof and boards
windows heatt red by the intens6
draught blows over the i w L ofcharred timbers,
where the fire started. tarpaulin flaps sharply
WHICH _' l.-'
Parish Church counts the or fierce blaze
Church clock todav rest forlorn and still:
proud church- remains r > i f nehmg an aPPeal sound; but 'rep5f£|fli>n,l: f“nd; for repairs to the about £Jnn nS^!r, lw,“ COBt church. “I believ
; AfiAV.fha A. .\__ 'Ivan,>neoi‘MA J a ra>. *•0 shortage of .volunteers
A*i .. ..
diw?fe we church a cold .»i,~ « - vnuyen articles to sthe Parish
Hall.across the
to
1 hT?L°Ut& ' and rubbl® « reMS corner
will continue to be held there < until repairs are completed.
“ .the church is ready for use
architect Mr Gordon Thorne. Mr Gordon • Although;- the-obi'itras-
aned out to avoid the danger of rot. CANCELLED
Mr Hudson estimates
•epaira to the fabric of the •/lurch will cost £80,000
made a preliminary inspec-
on the same side of the church as the blaze corner, was due to be taken out ?*ieek for repairs.
. Said Mr Hudson: “The / [ organ recitals until further notice.” . ,
I The vicar said there ■' were no immediate plans
theth c & S o
a thorough inspection. We have had to cancel all
ull extent of damage to he organ will not be mown until there has been
^?n’h but. thu instrament will have to be dismantled completely to ascertain the fWi extent-of the damage The console, which was
damaged by heat. An organ-builder has
on mark rests over the :ost of work on the church irgan; which was-badly
i — e»- v«^cuni»e UU«8-
nd replacement of fur- ishings £20,000.
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amount of water from the firemen's hoses which has seeped under, the floor. This must be thoroughly ,
by heat, smoke, dirt and water. One problem is the
he roof, most of the church has .been damaged ■
direct flame damage to the church is confined to one t burnt-out area and part of
Hudson, thought "several months.” He is waiting for reports from assessors, quantity surveyors and
again. The vicar, the Hev. John
It is impossible to say how. long it will be before
moved there and placed on m tne stage. Services started
treet. The altar' has been
,the hall on Sunday and
.watched sadly as thick smoke billowed from the church and spread over the town last Wednesday afternoon. At one time,
?ee.n 'dart«ng through the uuj vmdows above the children’s corner.
Firemen from Clitheroe,
' s sn l ed the a,an" ai r \50,P-m-, were later.
----has- i Cr£»eu lts PJ0Ud position
?Aood,°n the site. In 1828 the old fabric of the church was pulled down and the present building erected.
years. Nothing remains of °n8inal church which
— XL 8h-*‘Chll1,'0hl hoq ; ;; n Liitheroe for over 800
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F U f r firer?en from — w£rit.was finished.
Great Harwood. It was about 40 minutes before •
. The vicar was among the crowd of bystanders who
craftsmen able to under take the work.
sh o r tag e of ski l l ed mmmmi
when the blaze was at its. height, flames could be
® nre,there was ^possible to say how lone* repairs will
■ Vile JBHhOn W/iy It is t fewake'is
’tie-reason why''it~is the
said. __i . A msmm it fp
SMOKE billows fronu . roof of the church/ai
,the, children’s coi ,uhere^the blare star
NEARLY two years sepa rates these four pictures - years of hard work, faith, hope, and exceptional com
munity spirit. Smoke, rath e r than
extensive flames, billowed from the church roof, but there was plenty of destructive fire inside, as the aftermath picture
(above) shows. Bottom right,
the
restoration work gets well under way and it is already
clear that the result will be
worth all the effort. On the left, the dignity
and pomp of the Church of England is seen at its best at during the re-hallowing
service. The Bishop of Blackburn processes into a church
packed with a glad, grateful and perhaps even slightly proud congregation — it cer tainly had every cause to
be.
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