• November 23, 2017

November HLF Application Update

November HLF Application Update

November HLF Application Update 150 150 Sutterton Parish Church

This is a quiet time while we wait for decisions to be taken elsewhere.

Our second stage Lottery Application was submitted on schedule at the end of September. It was accepted for consideration by HLF and we know that the Application will go before the decision maker at HLF on 14 December. To finally complete our Development Phase we await the production of one more report. This is concerned with the origins of the stone that was used to build the original medieval church.

The object of the report is to assist with choosing the stone to be used to replace that which has perished. The fact we await this report should not have a negative effect on our Application.

Heritage Lottery Fund St Marys Church Sutterton

We have applied for a Faculty (which is the Church’s equivalent of applying for planning permission) and this will be considered by the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC) also on 14 December. The way that works is the DAC will advise the Chancellor of the Diocese on the merits or otherwise of the Project. We have been careful to work closely with the DAC as our plans have evolved so we hope the process of obtaining a Faculty will go smoothly.
Meanwhile, the task of exploring the heritage of the church continues. We have always known that parish accounts for the years 1483 to 1537 are kept at the Bodleian Library in Oxford. Recently, we have attempted to discover more of what these documents contain. There is much to be done.

An interesting question is; how did these documents find their way to Oxford? We know that they were bequeathed to the Bodleian in about 1770 by a man called Rawlinson but how did he come by them? We know that there have been thoughts in the past that the accounts should be returned to this part of the world. However, we understand they have survived in wonderfully good condition in Oxford. The probability is they would not be in such a good state if they had remained in Sutterton. The solution is probably to leave them in a place where they are properly cared for and to have copy near at hand.