Torteval weather vane blessed and returned
THE newly-gilded cockerel weather vane from St Philip’s Tower was blessed in a service at Torteval Church on Saturday before being reinstated to mark the end of nearly a year’s renovation works.
The topping-out ceremony was attended by many of those who have been involved in the project as well as parishioners, clergymen and members of the congregation.
CCD Architects director Stuart Pearce has been involved in the work since it began in January,
‘We have repointed the tower and spire with lime mortar replacing the cement mortar which doesn’t keep the water out,’ he said.
The Bishop of Dover, the Rt Rev. Trevor Willmott, blessed the cockerel which, he said, had been rescued from balancing ‘on a pin head’ at the time of restoration.
The rector, the Rev. Mark Charmley, said that the building was iconic,
‘The blessing is something that we do at the end of building work, so for us in terms of the spire and the tower, once the cockerel is in place that’s complete. It’s a service to say thank you to all who have worked on the building.’
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