Members of St John the Baptist Anglican church in Harleston, along with friends from other local churches, held a service of blessing for the church and workers as major work starts to restore it after a serious fire.
Psalm 90:13-16, which ends with the words “May the favour of the Lord our God rest on us; establish the work of our hands for us— yes, establish the work of our hands” was read at the service, which was the same passage that was read 153 years ago when the church was first commissioned.
Fire broke out on the afternoon of 1st October 2026, destroying a kitchen area, stained glass windows, and doing significant damage to the roof. Additionally smoke and water damage affected the whole interior. Over the past year the church and diocesan staff have been working with their architect, loss adjusters and insurers to put together a restoration plan. Having appointed a main contractor site preparation work started in Sept, and now the main work is commencing. The initial work will involve removing stained glass, chemical cleaning the interior stonework and removing the roof to further assess for damage.
The Reverend Jonathan Richardson, who was appointed as Curate in Charge in May said he could not give an exact reopening date, but prayed it would be possible to “actually do a carol service” from the church next year.