Two farmers, Will Morris, who is 70, and a churchwarden at St Mary'sDeerhurst, and his son, Tim, spent days building the 35-foot-high scale modeof the ninth-century Deerhurst Priory in their field. They fitted it witwindows, a clock, a weather vane, and even a straw monk.

They were advertising this weekend's Deerhurst and Apperley flower festivalwhich regularly brings in 10,000. They lowered a hedge be-side the road tgive passing motorists a better view. But early on Tuesday someone set fire tthe edifice.

The diocesan press officer said on Tuesday:  "After 2 a.m. last nighta resident saw the fire and called the fire brigade. Someone had driven off thmain road into the field and set [the straw] alight." By the time the firengine arrived, the church was just a huge bonfire.

Mr Morris said that the gate to the field was closed, but not locked. He hano idea who had set fire to the straw. "The police have been out. They saithere was very little chance of catching the culprits."

 Mr Morris's models, which have included Thomas the Tank Engine, havbeen a feature of the flower festival for several years. But now he does noknow whether he will carry on making them. "The church used a great deal ostraw," he said.