Good Morning! Good Sunday!
As it is Sunday today, I will show you a postcard of a church. This one was not sent to me, but it is my own as I bought it during my visit to this unusual church. It's St Matthew's church in the village of Normanton in Rutland, UK.
St Matthew's Church is most unusual as it located on a tiny
peninsular of rocks on the edge of Rutland Water - a major reservoir in the
tiny county of Rutland. Parts of the church are actually below the waterline
which were filled with rock and rubble when the lake was built in order to save
the building. It has been a museum for a while. The skeleton of an Anglo Saxon man as well as
dinosaur fossils were on show. Now it is being used as a wedding venue.
During the early 1970's it became obvious that a new reservoir was
needed to provide drinking water for the expanding population of South East
Britain. Surveyors and government finally decided that best location would be
the Gwash valley in the County of Rutland. Unfortunately this meant that a
substantial part of the parish of Empingham would be submerged underwater. Both
the villages of Middle Hambleton and Nether Hambleton were cleared. As the
valley was flooded it became obvious that the high-water level would partially
submerge St Matthews Church, a private chapel that had once been part of the
Normanton Estate. The church had narrowly avoided being demolished as part of
the valley clearance but now faced the prospect of destruction again as the
rising waters would slowly erode its foundations and lower walls. A trust was
quickly formed to save it for the future. Various proposals were evaluated but
in the end it was decided to fill the lower level with a mixture of concrete
and stone to secure its base.
This would reach as high as the window ledges and
be approximately 60 cm above the high-water mark. As the church would become a
mini-island a causeway was constructed from a nearby slope. This was then
extended to become a bank of clay that completely surrounded the building. Once
in place a defensive layer of boulders were positioned to provide a breakwater.
The project
was successful and has created an unusual landmark that has become a
fascinating destination for anyone interested in the more curious aspects of
the British countryside. When the reservoir is full St. Matthews appears to
float serenely on the surface of the lake and when the water is lower it
confuses the eye as it becomes clear that half of the church appears to have
sunk into the ground.
That's it from me today,
Have a good Sunday,
Be blessed,
Lisca
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