Just over one year ago, on the afternoon of 26th February 2005, the Grade 1 listed 14th century Church of St Ildierna, Lansallos, was severely damaged by arson on the afternoon of 26th February 2005, leaving the roofs of the Lady Chapel, chancel and nave badly burned, the organ destroyed, major damage caused to several items of ancient furniture and the whole building greatly affected by smoke, soot and water. Thankfully, the magnificent 15th century carved pews were saved by the sterling efforts of the seven fire brigades that attended. No-one has been brought to justice because the Crown Prosecution Service decided that there was insufficient evidence to achieve a conviction.

The total cost of restoration was initially estimated at nearly £400,000, of which only some £291,000 was covered by insurance, but the small local community was determined that this beautiful place of worship would be saved and a fund raising campaign was launched almost immediately. We have held coffee mornings, book and picture sales, a rock'n roll concert, lunches, a bridge morning, choir concerts and various other events. We've contacted nearly everyone from across the nation who has visited the church in recent years, and those with ancestors in the graveyard, and have been immensely encouraged by the numerous donations received, many from citizens with Cornish ancestry of the Commonwealth and the United States. We've been especially encouraged and helped by the congregation of Newquay Church, which suffered a similar arson attack a few years ago, and who have generated well over £1,500 towards the Lansallos Fire Appeal. We've been grateful, too, for assistance from the members of Lanteglos and St Veep churches and from our friends in the Methodist community, as well as generous individual donations, too many to name. So far the appeal total stands at more than £80,000, but the effort continues as, inevitably, costs have risen as the restoration progressed and more damage was discovered that needs to be put right.

Work began last May to remove and neutralise the acid soot which had permeated every surface of the church, and left untreated would eventually have caused deterioration of wood and plaster work. The soot was removed by spraying soda under pressure, a process that lasted two months and left everywhere covered in an unpleasant mixture of soot and bicarb that attracted the moisture from the air and soon turned to sludge - a case of the cure being almost as bad as the original problem! This was eventually cleaned up, and work had meanwhile commenced on the roofs under a huge temporary plastic cover. It was soon discovered that, despite the beams being badly charred, the centuries old oak had not burned through and could in nearly every case be saved by splicing new pieces of wood onto the old. This was a laborious and expensive task, but it meant that almost all the original structure could be retained. Much of the boarding in the “wagon” ceilings had burned through and had to be renewed and many of the slates on the roofs had also to replaced, which was done using matching second hand Delabole slates from a barn being demolished.

The roof repairs are now finished and the temporary covering has been removed, a major milestone in the restoration. Inside the church, damaged rendering has been stripped off and walls re-rendered using lime mortar in place of the previous cement covering, which should permit the walls to breathe and help to prevent the reappearance of damp stains on the paint work. Now, the internal scaffolding has been removed and the temporary partitioning taken down. The next task, when the render is dry, will be to decorate the walls with lime paint, a job we intend to do ourselves as it will save us several thousand pounds. New windows are being made to replace those broken in the fire and these should be in place fairly soon. We are also going out to tender for replacement of almost the entire electrical and lighting systems.

The opportunity has been taken, while the external scaffolding is still up, to re-point the east gable end of the church with lime mortar in place of the existing cement, which should stop the ingress of damp which had disfigured the walls behind the altar. The porch, too, is being re-rendered and new bench seats fitted, so that the entrance to the church will be more welcoming.

New ropes have been purchased for our splendid set of eight bells, at a cost of £950, the old ropes having being declared unsafe after the heat of the fire had affected their strength. We were fortunate to get financial help from many of the other bell ringing teams in Cornwall.

Services have continued without break using the Sunday School, a converted stone cow shed in the churchyard, and will continue to be held there until we can return to the restored church building.

While fire repairs have been underway our main contractors, Darrock & Brown Ltd, have also undertaken the re-roofing and refurbishment of the church tower at a cost of some £41,000 and for which we had been fund raising for several years before the fire.

The question of a new heating system for the church is now being addressed, which we are determined will be more effective than the old electrical radiant wall heaters! The problem is not only the capital cost but also the imperative need, with our small congregation, to keep running costs to an absolute minimum. We're exploring the possibilities of “green” renewable energy systems such as bore holes using heat from the earth. The PCC is also considering a suggestion that the Lady Chapel be partitioned off, in a suitably sensitive way that matches the existing medieval architecture, and which would provide a separate vestry and a smaller area for services in the winter so that the space to be heated is much reduced.

The problems of restoring the charred carved roof beams (some of the finest examples in Cornwall) and the badly damaged medieval furniture from the vestry remain to be dealt with, which may prove difficult and expensive. An expert wood restorer will soon be reporting and we are taking advice from the conservators of other old properties, such as Windsor Castle, that have suffered fires in recent years. But with the aid of grants, donations and continued fund raising we're confident that we'll get there, even if it takes a while, and we are very grateful indeed to the many people and organisations that have already given such generous help to the Church of St Ildierna at her time of need.

If you would like to help us finish the restoration of this beautiful and ancient local landmark, please send your donation to the Appeal Chairman, Mr John Feesey, Tresquite Mill House, Lansallos, Looe PL13 2QE, cheques payable to “Lansallos Church Fire Appeal”.

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