FIVE years after a fire devastated All Saints’, Mackworth, in Derbyshire, the first phase of reconstruction is nearing completion. Despite its £11-million insurance cover, the Grade I listed building’s future was jeopardised by the arson in 2020 (News, 31 December 2020).
The Bishop of Derby, the Rt Revd Libby Lane, described seeing the ruined building as “absolutely heart-breaking” at the time. “This is an awful tragedy to have happened to the people of Mackworth, but I know it will bring the community together stronger,” she told reporters.
The church was almost burnt to the ground, but Ecclesiastical Insurance’s claims director, Jeremy Trott, said: “We know from experience that we can rebuild this church so it can once more be at the heart of the Mackworth community.” The community witnessed what the Priest-in-Charge at the time, the Revd Jacqueline Stober, described as an “outpouring of love and support”.
In September 2023, work began on repairing the walls and chancel roof. Attention can now turn to the nave — still currently open to the elements — and, once the faculty has been granted, the interior reordering. The bells — the oldest of which dates from 1612 and is inscribed “Jhesus bee our speed” — were not damaged but were taken to the bell foundry while the church fund-raises for the £17,000 needed for their restoration.
The PCC is also applying for grants towards the £300,000 needed for tower repairs that pre-date the fire. About £140,000 has been raised so far.
A former Vicar of Allestree, seven miles away, Canon Chris Dyer, and her husband moved into the parish just weeks before the fire. Canon Dyer is a prominent supporter of the rebuilding effort. She said on Tuesday: “We’ve got no Vicar, no churchwardens, and we go to our sister church at Kirk Langley — but now we have a roof on the chancel: that’s a huge step forward.
“Ecclesiastical Insurance have been absolutely brilliant. And, while all this is happening, our parish is growing, with the addition of two large private housing estates. There are absolutely no public buildings where the community can meet, other than the church; so the rebuild is a real opportunity to create something for the whole parish.”