Luckington Church Tombraisers Project
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This Site contains News and Information about the Tombraisers Project.
It is a single-page website designed to be accessible on computers, tablets and phones.
The latest information will always be at the top.
09OCT21
A Visit to Wiltshire History Centre
A group of about thirty visited the Wiltshire History Centre in Chippenham, where they had a guided tour by Terry Bracher, Manager for Heritage Services and Ruth Butler, Heritage Education Officer.
Lots of Luckington-specific documents were available for inspection. Below are two examples. One shows field numbers and ownership with habitable — so, taxable — buildings in red; the other is the Parish Register.
In 1665 there were eight christenings, two marriages and seven burials; so Luckington was growing, just.
In 1666, not much happened in Luckington. An Edith and a Simon were baptized; an Elizabeth was buried. But — top right — you’ll see the entry noting troubling events far, far away: “Memorandum: a sad and dreadfull ffier (fire) hapned in London. Four from parishes burned. The 2, 3, 4, 5 and 6 daies of September, 1666”.
Interestingly, the official death toll of the Great Fire of London — after the Public Enquiry — was just six.
Those falling-over “6”es look like they’re in a bit of a hurry...
18SEP21 - 26SEP21
The Luckington Lives Exhibition
Nick Burridge curated an exhibition: “Luckington Lives”, which was kindly hosted by the Old Royal Ship. The exhibition’s theme was the story of Luckington residents past and present, told through their biographies and the buildings in which they lived. It was well attended, with 400 viewing it and its run being extended from three days to nine.
Autumn 2021
Information Board at the Church
Chris Polley designed, produced, mounted and installed this highly detailed information board, intended to enlightened vistors to Luckington Church and its grounds.
Autumn 2021
Nick Burridge’s Book: “Luckington Lives”
Nick’s initial print run of 220 books sold out extremely fast. But there are a few not-quite-perfect copies still available at £15 each.
Please click on the image below for a preview, and email Community Matters if you’d like your own copy.
13SEP21
The Last of Nine Tombs has been Restored
Here are two ‘Before’ and two ‘After’ images of the Tomb of John Fast.
... and as it is now ...
12SEP21
“Luckington Lives” Exhibition
This has been curated by Nick Burridge. It is an illustrated history of Luckington, told through its People and the houses in which they lived.
It runs from Saturday 18th to Monday 20th September, at the Old Royal Ship in Luckington; daily from 10:00 until 18:00.
Admission is Free.
21JAN21
A Photo-book: “Luckington and its Cotswold Neighbours”
Nick Burridge has published a photo-book which has sold very well; its profits going to support the fabric of Luckington Church.
The book can be previewed — in deliberately degraded resolution — by clicking here.
26OCT19
“Luckington’s Secret Spymaster”: second chance?
Though tickets to this event are all allocated, names are still being taken for addition to the waiting list. If there is sufficient interest, the talk may be repeated at a later date, and if so, those wait-listed this time will have first dibs next time.
16OCT19
“Luckington’s Secret Spymaster”: SOLD OUT
Due to the legal capacity of the School Hall, this event is now nominally full, but names are being taken for addition to the waiting list.
09OCT19
“Luckington’s Secret Spymaster”
On Friday, 22 November from 17:30 until about 19:30 at Luckington School, there will be a free talk on the life of Major-General Sir Stewart Menzies.
Sir Stewart was Head of the British Secret Intelligence Service, MI6, from 1939 to 1952. In that role he was spymaster to Winston Churchill, guardian of the ‘ultra secret’ and overseer of all sorts of intelligence triumphs — and tragedies.
He was also a Luckington resident and his ashes now rest beneath an unassuming marker in the churchyard. He led an extraordinary life and had a major role in the Allies’ victory in the War, yet it was because of the necessary secrecy that his contribution has been understated.
Even so, Sir Stewart has a few claims on popular culture, being credited as the inspiration for James Bond’s Chief ‘M’ in Ian Fleming’s novels. He was also John le Carré’s ‘Control’ and his character was played by Mark Strong in the Oscar-winning film ‘The Imitation Game’.
The talk will cover some of the most important aspects of his life and work — at least, those that can be spoken about. Co-presenting the event will be Mr Rupert Bell, an accomplished broadcaster and also one of Sir Stewart’s grandsons. He will talk about his own memories of his secretive grandfather and answer questions from the floor.
All are welcome to this free event. But tickets need to be reserved: this is because we cannot exceed the School Hall’s safe capacity. To reserve your free place, please send an email to Community Matters. You will receive a reply email with your ticket number or numbers: please say how many you want. Also, please say where you are from, whether that be Luckington, Alderton or Timbuktu: all are welcome, but the people at the Heritage Fund like to know these things.
Refreshments will be available.
To help the organizers to plan and to avoid disappointment, please register your interest early.
If and when the event is fully subscribed, this page will be updated to say so.
03OCT19
Before-and-after photographs of six of the seven tombs:
And the seventh and eighth tombs, after restoration:
02OCT19
Press Release — Wednesday, October 2nd., 2019
Several monumental tombs in Luckington churchyard have been in a desperate state of repair.
In particular, the poor state of several “chest tombs” had been noted for some time. The issue finally came to a head when the Council, which is responsible for Safety issues in the churchyard, put up wire cages around the tombs which were considered to be the most unsafe in 2014. But these enclosures inevitably allowed vegetation to grow unchecked around these monuments.
There was widespread concern about the unsightliness of these works, and much discussion amongst parishioners as to how the situation could be resolved, since no single body could take financial responsibility for the works.
The result was a scheme whereby it was decided that the most urgent repairs to the seven chest tombs would be undertaken so that the wire cages could be removed and the churchyard restored to its ideal state of peace and tranquillity. With the encouragement of Reverend Christopher Bryan, a team of concerned members of the community was formed under Sebastian Lawrence-Mills to explore funding opportunities and to see the job done.
Funding was kicked off with a donation from Luckington and Alderton Parish Council. This was swiftly bolstered by numerous individual donations raised through a Community Matters appeal. (Community Matters is Luckington, Alderton and Brookend’s e-newsletter). These individual donations from members of the parish made a big difference as they reflected the commitment of the community and so helped secure a Lottery grant.
With the backing of Councillor John Thompson, Wiltshire Council was very supportive with a further donation of funds and the help of their Heritage Officer to tap into a National Heritage Lottery Fund Grant. Luckington Parochial Church Council was able to serve as an umbrella organization for administration purposes.
This is a fine example of what members of a Community working together can achieve. We have orchestrated the repair of two military tombs in July 2018 in time for the Armistice Centenary last year — financed by the Community and a military grant — and the recent restoration of chest tombs.
Today we are delighted to announce that seven chest tombs have been restored.
Please note that some of the following dates have been revised following cleaning.
The restored tombs are those of:
• John Bell, who died in 1838.
• Sarah Bell, who died in 1778.
• Charles Bell, who died in 1815.
• and an un-named Bell relative.
(These four tombs are ‘listed’ under a single reference by Historic England as a “Group of Four Bell Monuments”).
Then there are:
• James Horton, a Luckington Tanner who died in 1762.
• Elizabeth Cox-Hill, who died in 1853, buried alongside Thomas Turner Hill, 1860.
• and finally Hester Clarke, who died in 1849.
This is the only tomb of the seven that is not listed.
The National Heritage Lottery Fund has awarded us a grant of up to £20,000 for the restoration of these seven tombs.
The Parish Council and members of the local community have also donated generously.
The contract for the restoration work was awarded to James Long Stonemasons who completed their work on September 20th.
A condition of the Heritage Fund grant is the requirement to demonstrate that a wider range of people will be involved in understanding and caring for their heritage.
The Tombraisers’ Committee has put together an range of activities related to Luckington history. These events will take place over the coming year.
What the Committee is planning (and what it had, by October, 2021✓, achieved):
✓ A Schools’ education project, to involve the pupils in the rich heritage of our churchyard — Completed, September 2019.
✓ A Luckington Heritage Quiz — (This couldn’t happen, but see next)
✓ A Church-Information Board — this replaced the Luckington Heritage Quiz, which had been confounded by covid.
✓ A three-day Heritage Exhibition, to be held in the Skittles Alley at The Old Royal Ship next summer — Held in September, 2021; attracting over 400 visitors.
✓ A dedicated, permanent web page — this is it.
✓ A group visit to the Wiltshire History Centre — behind Chippenham Station — This took place on October 9th., 2021.
✓ A talk about ‘Our Local Spy’, Sir Stewart Menzies; formerly of Bridges Court — Held on November 22nd, 2019; filling the School Hall to capacity.
You can also make contact with any members of the Tombraisers Committee. They are Liz Brereton, Elveen Mead, Nick Burridge, Fraser Fleming, Norbert Mak and Sebastian Lawrence-Mills.
Any or all of these individuals can be reached by emailing Community Matters.
End of Press Release
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