A MAJOR £30,000 funding bid to complete the revamp of a much-loved Little Malvern church where Sir Edward Elgar and his wife and daughter are buried has been launched by charity bosses.
St Wulstan’s Church serves the local community with dedication and commitment and has issued a rallying call for help with vital restoration work.
The idyllic church boasts a fine baptistery and stained-glass windows and has been the subject of a major revamp in recent years to preserve it for future generations.
Last year the west front of the picturesque church, including the rose window was cleaned, repointed and the damaged apex stone and the red sandstone columns at the entrance were all replaced.
In order to complete the structural restoration, the entire north side needs cleaning, repairing and repointing.
All of the supporting iron bars will also need replacing with stainless steel to prevent stone-damaging corrosion as part of works which are estimated to cost around £30,000.
Saint Wulstan became a Benedictine monk at Worcester Cathedral Priory and Bishop of Worcester in 1062.
Many of the church rebuilding works in the three counties area are attributed to him, together with the large-scale work at Worcester and Hereford cathedrals, as well as the founding of Great Malvern Priory.
He survived the Norman Conquest to become a trusted adviser of William the Conqueror and died in 1095 at the age of 87. He canonised in 1203 and is the Patron Saint of Vegetarians.
St Wulstan’s Church in Little Malvern was built in 1862 but the parish, closely linked with Little Malvern Court, has a continuous Catholic history since the Reformation.
The beautiful stained-glass windows, designed by Birmingham based Hardman Studios in the 1880s in the Lady Chapel also need specialist cleaning.
Part of this stunning window has been expertly photographed by Bill Carver, and ‘The Annunciation’ is the subject of the Christmas card, which is being sold to raise funds for this next phase of the restoration project.
The sale of Christmas cards has raised more than £5,000 previously and Parish priest Fr Edward Crouzet said: “Two years ago the Hardman windows in St Wulstan’s provided us with a beautiful image of the Nativity. This year it is the Annunciation. I hope you like it too.”
The cards are available in packs of 10 for £4 per pack and can be purchased online at www.christmascardsinaidofstwulstanschurch.com or after Sunday morning Mass at the church.
Cards will be available from the Malvern Card Shop on Avenue Road from October 23.
