The Archbishop of York, Dr John Sentamu, will be visiting Holy Epiphany Chapel in Butterwick, to celebrate the restoration of the church, saved from closure. The Archbishop will be taking part in a service of thanksgiving and celebration on Sunday 15th June at 6.30pm
The church and residents of Butterwick have raised over £30,000 to save Holy Epiphany, and the restoration work has been done by local builder Geoff Brewer.
Holy Epiphany Churchwarden Jill Hopkins said, “We realised we had a real problem at Holy Epiphany when chunks of plaster began dropping off the ceiling. If we didn’t tackle the problem, we knew we might have to close the church – we couldn’t have people getting hurt as the building decayed. The problem could only be solved by a restoration programme that involved re-roofing, new guttering, down pipes and soakaways, the stonewalls re-pointing, as well as interior work to replace rotten floor timbers; at an estimated cost of just over £30,000.
“The work was urgent, and for many communities this might have been the moment to throw in the towel; but not for the residents of the hamlet of Butterwick, with its outlying farms and neighbouring village of Brawby. We feel that this small Victorian chapel is an iconic landmark. It is not only a special place of worship with a loyal congregation that swells to standing room only for special services, but a light and quiet place for contemplation.
“We held events such as our day of ‘Beauty and Tranquillity’ when botanical artist Bridget Gillespie and wood carver Henry Leeson displayed their work in the church, and continued with coffee mornings and cake stalls. Local people pitched in by sponsoring roofing slates, and a local businessman was spurred into giving a generous donation after driving past the ‘cassockometer’, our fund raising thermometer with a difference.”
Archbishop Sentamu said, “Not only is Holy Epiphany Chapel a beautiful building, it is at the heart of the communities of Butterwick and Brawby. It’s heartening to see how the local people supported the fundraising efforts of the church. The future of this rural Christian building is now secure, and the community can be proud of restoring such an important part of their North Yorkshire countryside.”
Holy Epiphany Chapel also received grants from Yorkshire Historic Churches Trust, the Garfield Weston Foundation, the Jack Brunton Trust, the Allchurches Trust, and the Diocese of York.