A MINI-TORNADO has caused significant damage to one of the
oldest parish churches in England.
High winds damaged a large stained-glass window after sweeping
through Stow Minster, near Lincoln, on Saturday afternoon. Gusts of
up to 50 mph also caused large sections of the roof to buckle.
The Minster Church of St Mary, Stow-in-Lindsey, is one of the
oldest parish churches in England. It originally served as the
cathedral church of the ancient diocese of Lindsey, founded in the
seventh century, and stands on the site of a much older one.
Sections of the church date from 950.
Stow Minster is Grade I listed, and was included in the 100 most
endangered sites in the world by the World Monuments Fund in 2006.
It was restored in Victorian times, but now needs repair work
estimated at £2-3 million. It is also historically significant, as
it was the mother church for Lincolnshire before the building of
Lincoln Cathedral.
The watch commander at Gainsborough fire station, Mike Marot,
who was called to the scene, said: "The window was blown in with
such force that the ironwork frame was embedded in the floor inside
the church, and it is just impossible to pull it out. The wind got
under the roofing, and it just rippled the whole way along."