Yardley church St Edburgha's spire saved by Australian donation

Jul 13 2010 By Edward Chadwick

Worshippers at Birmingham's second oldest church are rejoicing after a miracle from Down Under has save their crumbling spire.

Few who remembered Roy Gilbert as a slight altar boy at St Edburgha’s, in Yardley, in the 1950s could imagine that he might become their saviour.

But, even though he went to preach in Australia after becoming a vicar, he kept a place in his heart for the picture-postcard church.

The 800-year-old Grade I-listed chapel at the heart of Yardley faced a crisis after weather eroded the stone in its spire so much that the bells could no longer be rung.

Parishioners rallied round to raise £40,000 and more was donated in grants, but there still remained a £56,000 gap in the £200,000 fund for repairs.

Until last week.

Church warden John Seeley was left speechless when he opened an e-mail from the executors of Rev Gilbert’s will to tell him that he had left a fund for “beautification of the church” – to the tune of 100,000 Australian dollars - or exactly £56,000.

“Never has the term pennies from heaven seemed so apt,” said Mr Seeley, who has been leading the fundraising campaign.

“A couple of the congregation remembered Rev Gilbert from many years ago but nobody knew where he was and this was completely out of the blue.”

The church needs more than £1 million in total for repairs to secure its future for generations to come.

Parts of it date back to the 13th century and the sandstone has become so badly weather-worn in parts that sunlight can be seen from the inside.

Mr Gilbert died in July last year and his estate was settled last month. After growing up Yardley, he was ordained a priest in the Birmingham Diocese in 1977 when he became Assistant Curate in the parish of Moseley. He left for Australia in 1982.