St Dubricius Church brought Porlock’s history back to life at a hugely successful open day on Saturday (October 30) – at the start of a drive to raise £100,000.

The open day was the start of what is likely to be a long campaign to raise funds for re-shingling the church spire, which was last completed in 1933.

The spire fundraising committee organised a series of performances in and around the church, featuring key characters including St Dubricius from the 6th century, Lady Harington from the 15th century and Mrs Hook, the wife of a 19th century rector, to name but a few. 

Visitors were entertained by characters such as ‘Elsie’, a Victorian villager, retelling the horrific tale of the village being raided and set alight in 1052 by Harold Godwinson (the future King Harold from the Battle of Hastings) and his men.

The story of the opening of the old village school was told by a ‘former headmaster’, quoting from an article in the Free Press in April 1876.

Porlock Town Crier Grant Dennis was on hand as various activities were held – including bell-ringing at which many visitors had a go.

Rector of St Dubricius the Rev Ann Gibbs said: “We very much want the church to be part of the village and for people to feel welcome here.

“We also want to let people know about our history, and of course there is a financial aspect, as ever, because we have to replace all the shingles on the spire in the next couple of years, and that will be a huge cost.

“We really do need the help of the community to be able to do that, and to ensure our church remains at the centre of the community and village”.

It will not be the first time the church has looked for help to raise funds. In the late 1800s, Mrs Mary Hook, honorary secretary and treasurer of the Restoration Committee and wife of the rector, the Rev Walter Hook, led a successful campaign.

It took Mrs Hook’s fundraising team two years to raise £500 – a figure which allowed the works to commence. Their total fundraising target was £1,270 initially, equivalent to about £170,000 today.

Churchwarden Martin Spence said: “Thankfully, the refurbishment we are undertaking now is far less than the works undertaken in Reverend Hook’s time, but we still need to raise £100,000 for the re-shingling project to ensure our unusual wooden spire, with its truncated tip, doesn’t deteriorate further”. 

St Dubricius is actively seeking new members from the community to join its ‘Inspire’ fundraising team and to get involved in more fun and informative events for the village. To learn more, email [email protected]