700-year-old stained-glass windows of a Stone Parish church now have protection after vandals threw lumps of masonry and stones through its windows causing almost £5,000 worth of damage. A donation of £3,000 from the Waterstone Park Community Fund (WPCF) has paid for a near invisible mesh that now protects the church's 17 windows. The Rector, Kenneth Clark, said: "We have a fine set of stained-glass windows but they have been prone to vandalism. "The new mesh is virtually invisible to the naked eye which means our visitors can enjoy the windows rather than seeing them boarded up. "When the vandals struck I was sad but we have to absorb the knocks and not retaliate. I was delighted to receive the funding as it means the church stays alive." Stone Parish Church, nicknamed the Lantern of Kent, was built around 1300 and its interior is a replica of Westminster Abbey and was constructed by the Royal masons of Henry III. (Yup - the guy who took Ingress Park away from the Sisters of Dartford Priory, knocked down their buildings and built his own travel stop) Rev Clark has been at the church for a year and said: "Now we can start in earnest to raise the £20,000 we need for the big window, blown out during the second world war. This something unimaginable before the new protective covers." The WPCF was set up last year by Dartford-based company Land Securities Group PLC and Countryside Properties PLC of Chatham. |
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"We have a fine set of stained-glass windows but they have been prone to vandalism. "The new mesh is virtually invisible to the naked eye which means our visitors can enjoy the windows rather than seeing them boarded up." Ken Clark |
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