The committee met on 28 January 1899 to consider the state of the Building Fund for the new church and to hear the architect’s report on the plans. The subscription list showed £785 so that further efforts must be made to increase it.
Mr T B Carter of 5 Staple Inn, London submitted a very complete design, the estimated cost of which is £1,200. It was found impossible to produce a satisfactory plan for a church with the required accommodation for under this sum; it was therefore accepted and, when more money is in hand, will be proceeded with. The church will seat 162 persons. The furniture, fees etc will be extra, but it is hoped that much of the furniture will be presented. There is already the Reredos, the Pulpit and the East Window. The Altar, Lectern and Font will perhaps appeal to the generosity of some. Two bells also will be required as well as the necessary books. The architect has promised a complete list which will be published as soon as it is received. The seats are to be chairs. The graveyard surrounding the church will be a great boon to Preston which till now has used Hitchin Cemetery for burials. Part of Preston being in Ippollitts parish, the Vicar is arranging for an offertory in support of the Building Fund and it is expected that one or two will be collected at St Mary’s for the building of a new church in a parish is surely calculated to interest all and enlist their help.We insert prints of the new church of St Martin at Preston (above) as it will appear when completed.
The building is going on apace –faster, indeed, than the rate at which the funds are now coming in. Before all necessary expenses can be met, at least £350 more will have to be subscribed. Within the past month, about £15 has been added to the Building Fund, nearly £4 coming from Preston itself. This included £2 2s 11d, the offertories at the Harvest Thanksgiving Services on 24 September 1899, diverted for the present from Hitchin Infirmary but doubtless to be restored to it in due course with interest. Since January last, the Sunday School box has returned 18s 3d and the Church Alms Box, 10s 4d.
This solemn and interesting ceremony, as being notified in our last issue, took place on 11 November 1899, being St Martin’s Day.
A procession started from the Schools towards the site of the new church at 12 o’clock, consisting of the choirs of St Mary’s and Preston, six clergy and about 250 people. During the march, The Church’s One Foundation was sung. When the congregation had taken their places, the Vicar proceeded with the service, at one point laying his hand upon the stone and repeated a prayer.
At the time arranged, the lime was spread by Mrs Macmillan, who laid the Stone and then the Vicar pronounced a blessing. He also addressed those present; in the course of his remarks, he referred to the growing feeling of the need for a church at Preston and to the way in which that need was now being supplied. He hoped that many blessings would result to the village and worshippers in generations to come and that the church would always be well attended. He referred to the name of St Martin as a most appropriate one for the church. It seemed, he said, to spring up in several minds at the same time and brought them back to the times before St Augustine came on his mission to England. It was the name of the oldest church in England (St Martin’s, Canterbury) and although not connected with the Knights Templar who once lived at Preston, the name of this soldier, missionary, bishop, true saint would ever call to charity and devoted service. The Templars, who formerly had a chapel at Preston, probably used St Mary in their dedications which was already the name of the Parish Church and therefore St Martin’s, Preston would be the dedicatory name of the present building which would, he hoped, be consecrated next summer.
On the conclusion of the ceremony, the procession returned to the Schools singing All People that on Earth Do Dwell. The collections amounted to £11 2s 0d leaving £10 for the Building Fund after deduction for expenses. The weather was very fine and pleasant for November, although somewhat windy.
The church will be ready for consecration next summer and the Bishop has signified that the 11 July will be a suitable date. A list of necessary articles of furniture etc. Which the Committee would gladly see presented to the church will be published in next month’s magazine. In the meantime, the work of collecting subscriptions is being carried on and in this direction much still remains to be done.
As the Bishop of St Albans said, a series of ‘important events in the life of our Parish’ took place on 11 July 1900.
We speak now of more especially of Preston where stands today, as a testimony to the life and activity of the Church of God in our midst, a beautiful new building dedicated and consecrated to the service of God as a Chapel of Ease to the ancient Parish Church of St Mary’s, Hitchin. Surrounding this is the new churchyard, an acre of consecrated ground, where (to quote the Bishop again) the bodies of the sleeping saints will be ‘deposited’.
In perfect summer weather, Preston was visited by the Bishop of St Albans accompanied by nine of his clergy, namely; The Rev Canon Hensley, The Revds. B N Switzer and J G Williams (Hitchin), J E Eadon (Steveange), Canon Nairne (Baldock), G S Clayton (Kings Walden), L Stevens (Kimpton), T G M Macmorran (Ippollitts) and E A Ley (Manningtree). There were also present officially, Messrs. A Day (Diocesan Registrar), W T Lucas, F Shillitoe (Churchwardens), R de V Pryor, G Ware (Chapelwardens), W O Times (Solicitor), H G Moulden, T Ashton (Organists), W Allen (Verger) and the choirs of St Martin’s and St Mary’s.
At 2 p.m., the procession started from the schoolroom and walked the distance of about 500 yards to the Church, singing hymns: Onward Christian Soldiers and Saviour, Blessed Saviour.
At the west door, the petition to consecrate was presented to the Bishop by the Vicar of Hitchin, Canon Hensley, and read by the Registrar and then the services proceeded in the presence of about 600 people, many of whom, owing to the limited accommodation of St Martin’s, remained in the churchyard until the time came for its consecration. It was noted that the consecration of a churchyard was an important event in the life of a parish, for it was one that seldom happened.
Many valuable and handsome gifts have been presented for the new church....The offertory at the consecration amounted to £62 17s 9d and about £200 is needed now to free the Building Committee from all anxiety as to its liabilities.
The congregations have been large since the opening of the church.
Among the gifts are the following: Large iron mat or scraper for West Door by Mr
H Barham (Sun Street); large lamp (100-
Mrs L A Hill (Queen Street) has collected for the Building Fund £1 5s 0d, part being
a thank-
Laying the Foundation Stone
The consecration of St Martin’s
Note: to see a photograph of these gifts to St Martins use this link: St Martins 2009.