On Christmas Eve 2007 St Nicholas Church was packed tight for a beautiful candle-lit carol service, but by the early hours of the morning the building was ablaze. Though the roof and tower were destroyed, bringing the bells crashing to the ground, the church was fully insured and in a restorable state. The decision as to how to, or even whether to, restore the church caused much heart-searching and argument as each faction tried to recruit local residents to its cause.
I am grateful to Ally Fuller of Home Farm for the photos below.
Restoration
Peper Harow – St Nicolas Church fire circular
St Nicolas Church fire – newspaper article