A HUGE restoration project is coming to an end.
Expert stonemasons are putting the finishing touches to the spire at St John’s Church in Birkby – badly damaged by vandals 14 months ago.
There is still work to be done on pointing the tower of the imposing church.
But churchgoers are delighted to see the gilded weathercock finally back in place on top of the church, 150 feet above the ground.
The masons, working for Lambert Walker, a firm which specialises in restoring old buildings, were called in during the summer to start the repair work.
Vandals who tried to steal the church’s lightning conductor in July 2008 caused horrendous damage, bringing down huge stones through the church roof.
It meant that much of the top of the spire had to be painstakingly rebuilt, with special pieces cut from local stone and carved to fit.
Normally the firm are able to copy existing stones but at Birkby, they faced added problems because many of the original stones were smashed when they crashed down from the spire, through the roof of the church.
The masons worked to replace three bands of stones at the top.
The church was left facing a repair bill of more than £750,000 after the spire came crashing down in the early hours incident.
Most of the cost was covered by the church’s insurers.
But the congregation still had to find £100,000.
Scaffolding still surrounds the tower, but the top section which has been newly-restored is clearly visible.
The remaining work is expected to be completed by November.
The church has applied to English Heritage to cover some of the costs.
