The Spire Project 2024-5
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The Spire, bells and clock of St Michael's Church are in urgent need of repair. We hope you will seriously consider making a generous donation to help us preserve this beautiful historic building for future generations to enjoy.
You can read more about this project below. To make a donation, please click on this link https://givealittle.co/c/r9V3bCe8QNjoHohOZHDue or scan the QR code. This will take you to a secure site where you can donate an amount of your choosing, and include GiftAid if you so wish. |
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The building of the present church was commenced in 1853, though there has been Christian worship on the site since at least 1220. The church Spire, with its bells and clock, is a distinctive and prominent feature of the neighbourhood.
The six bells were installed in 1880 and have not been removed since. They are rung on Sundays, for weddings and special occasions, including bellringers’ events from the Deanery and further afield. Local residents are familiar with the sound of the bells being rung at the bellringers’ regular Monday evening practice. However, due to wear and tear, the ringing of the bells has had to be restricted for safety reasons, and in June 2025 the bells were removed by Nicholson Engineering, a specialist bell company, for restoration. We are expecting them to be returned and re-installed around the end of September this year. You can see photos of the removal of the bells in this pdf document:
The six bells were installed in 1880 and have not been removed since. They are rung on Sundays, for weddings and special occasions, including bellringers’ events from the Deanery and further afield. Local residents are familiar with the sound of the bells being rung at the bellringers’ regular Monday evening practice. However, due to wear and tear, the ringing of the bells has had to be restricted for safety reasons, and in June 2025 the bells were removed by Nicholson Engineering, a specialist bell company, for restoration. We are expecting them to be returned and re-installed around the end of September this year. You can see photos of the removal of the bells in this pdf document:
| removal_of_bells_june_2025.pdf |
The hourly striking of the clock, which was another feature in the local community, has unfortunately been missing for several years due to its age (1870). Not only does the mechanism need overhauling, but the clock faces are also badly degraded. Work to restore the clock is planned to go ahead at the end of September 2025, so that it can be restored to its former glory.
The Spire is covered with wooden tiles known as shingles, which have become seriously degraded over decades due to aging, wear and tear and degradation by nesting birds. We propose to replace the existing cedar shingles this autumn with new, more durable oak ones, as originally used when the spire was built 170 years ago.
The complete project of spire shingles, bells and clock will restore this prominent and iconic part of our beautiful building for future generations to enjoy, so that this place of worship which has played a part in the lives of many in our community will continue to be a source of pride for our town. The total cost is in the region of £250,000, and although approximately £130,000 of that has been raised so far, we are still looking for a further £120,000 to complete the work. Some will, we hope, come from grants, but we are looking for donations from members of our town community, including any local businesses who would like to show their support for a local community project.
The Spire is covered with wooden tiles known as shingles, which have become seriously degraded over decades due to aging, wear and tear and degradation by nesting birds. We propose to replace the existing cedar shingles this autumn with new, more durable oak ones, as originally used when the spire was built 170 years ago.
The complete project of spire shingles, bells and clock will restore this prominent and iconic part of our beautiful building for future generations to enjoy, so that this place of worship which has played a part in the lives of many in our community will continue to be a source of pride for our town. The total cost is in the region of £250,000, and although approximately £130,000 of that has been raised so far, we are still looking for a further £120,000 to complete the work. Some will, we hope, come from grants, but we are looking for donations from members of our town community, including any local businesses who would like to show their support for a local community project.
How does the repair of the Spire fit in with our Mission?
Making repairs like this to our building is a costly affair, and it is only right that proper consideration is given to this use of money. We are fortunate to have a beautiful church building, which is the home of a vibrant community that seeks to serve the people of Sandhurst and surrounding area in a variety of ways.
As a church, we believe that our mission to serve the people of Sandhurst and area includes the provision of a sacred space for worship and prayer, and so recognise our responsibility to care for our glorious and historic building. At the same time, our mission includes serving people through the work of specialist paid staff, such as our Family Worker (whose work complements that of the Rector), retired clergy, and volunteers. This is part-funded from a Mission Fund deriving from historic donations, and we are reluctant to deplete this fund by spending it on repairs to the building. We are therefore seeking to raise additional funds through local fundraising and applying for grants so that we can attend to the urgent and necessary work to preserve the church building for future generations.
As a church, we believe that our mission to serve the people of Sandhurst and area includes the provision of a sacred space for worship and prayer, and so recognise our responsibility to care for our glorious and historic building. At the same time, our mission includes serving people through the work of specialist paid staff, such as our Family Worker (whose work complements that of the Rector), retired clergy, and volunteers. This is part-funded from a Mission Fund deriving from historic donations, and we are reluctant to deplete this fund by spending it on repairs to the building. We are therefore seeking to raise additional funds through local fundraising and applying for grants so that we can attend to the urgent and necessary work to preserve the church building for future generations.
Please click or tap below to open the current leaflet on the Spire Project.
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Progress Report August 2025
The following report appeared in the August 2025 edition of the church newsletter
| spire_202508.pdf |
Looking Back: The "Windows" Phase 2016-2020
In 2016 St Michael’s Church launched “WinSpire”, a fundraising campaign to raise money to repair the stained glass windows and the spire. We prioritised the windows in the West end of the church, which were in particularly bad repair, and from the funds raised we were able to have these removed, cleaned and repaired by specialists and replaced.
Following a break in the campaign, occasioned partly by the Covid pandemic, the second phase of raising further funds to replace the wooden shingles (tiles) on the spire, and repair the peal of six bells and the clock was launched in 2024.
Please follow the links below
Photos
Grants Received
The Stained Glass Windows
Following a break in the campaign, occasioned partly by the Covid pandemic, the second phase of raising further funds to replace the wooden shingles (tiles) on the spire, and repair the peal of six bells and the clock was launched in 2024.
Please follow the links below
Photos
Grants Received
The Stained Glass Windows