The old overhead heaters which were energy inefficient and expensive to run have gone! On Christmas day worshippers were treated to an unaccustomed blast of heat from above. The Holy Spirit? Possibly. New quartz halogen heaters? Definitely. Some people were even observed to be sitting in their pews without coats and gloves.Many thanks to Dave Young for project managing it all, @Herschel for advising and supplying the heaters; @David Skelton Electrics for working long hours in the cold to finish installing them in time for Christmas and @South Hill Parish Council for help with funding.A few minor tweaks will be carried out over the next few weeks, including linking the heaters to a remote control switch so that they can be switched on in the appropriate pews as people arrive and so that we can reduce or increase the heat as needed.
Torquil and Ruth McNeilage, of McNeilage Consevation, have done a wonderful job restoring the monument to young Michael Hill and it is now back in its place in the Manaton Chapel at St Sampson's.Michael Hill was the eldest son of Frances (nee Manaton 1616-c.1699), of South Hill, and her husband Michael Hill of Wendron near Helston. Michael died aged about eight in 1663. We have been unable to trace his burial in Cornwall parish records, so we were not sure whether he was buried in his father’s parish of Wendron or here in his mother’s church at South Hill. Following conservation of the monument to young Michael the mystery has been solved. The previously barely legible lettering of the inscription has been carefully repainted and now clearly reads "Nere unto this place lieth the body of Michael Hill .... who departed this life the 17th June 1633". - Confirmation that young Michael was laid to rest here among his forbears, in the Manaton Chapel of St Sampson's church. Two of Frances Hill's Manaton sisters never married and probably remained living in the family home at South Hill. Perhaps it was these two sorrowing aunts who erected the memorial to their young nephew, in the family chapel where they would have worshipped every Sunday.The monument centres on a relief portrait of the young deceased Michael, with his books on a writing table and striking a thoughtful pose. It was described by Torquil McNeilage, in his conservation report, as "both individual and finely wrought. The figure of the deceased Michael Hill has a rare intimacy and character in his melancholic pose, surrounded by his books, whilst the inscription is simultaneously charming and heartfelt.” The monument would have been coloured originally and the columns painted to resemble veined alabaster or marble. Torquil and Ruth discovered that much of the colouring had survived, albeit in a fragmentary state, under the grime of centuries and after thorough cleaning some of the original colour and marbling can at last be seen again.As part of the work to restore the Manaton chapel and turn it into a warm dry meeting space, we intend to install suitable lighting so that Michael Hill's charming monument can be fully appreciated by everyone.Please click the link above to download a copy of the Conservation Report. Many thanks to Torquil and Ruth McNeilage for all their work.The Conservation Report and all photographs are copyright McNeilage Conservation and South Hill PCC and must not be reproduced without permission.
At our Sunday With a Difference service on Sunday 25th November we will be considering safeguarding and talking and praying about how Christians across the country and in our own church are working to protect and look after victims and survivors of abuse.Come and join our informal cafe style service - refreshments available throughout. Last year, more than 3,000 churches took part in the event, with this year looking to be bigger than ever. Having taken part in the campaign, churches reported: greater positive awareness and understanding of safeguarding among church members an increase in the number of people feeling able to talk about their abuse for the first time more volunteers coming forward for safeguarding roles and to help with children’s and youth work an increased number of people completing safeguarding training and criminal record checks.
St Sampson's Church recently entered the National Churches Trust award for maintenance and were short listed to the final 12. National Churches' Trust told us, “your church, whilst not a winner, is one that the judges wanted to highlight as one of the Highly Commended projects". The ceremony is on Monday 6th November 4-6.30pm. All the finalists will be mentioned in the films and the programme, you can sign up for free here <a href="https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/715886605107?aff=oddtdtcreator&fbclid=IwAR2EP62-Wt5LrDlnIOUlfIPJdfE9q1btqeS0EakG1bAwtCAsGNOcbaw4fS4">https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/715886605107...</a>
