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The community is very fortunate
to have this lovely 18th century house, which is so much more than
just the Vicar's residence. It is used, as in 'the olden days',
not only as the vicar's house, but also as the church office, for meetings, groups, parties
and fetes, and is
even used to accommodate pilgrims and visitors on Quiet Days.
history
In 1685 Lastingham Vicarage had
just one barn and one stable.
In
1715 it was described as a
dwelling house, thatched, 20 yards long and 5 yards wide, with a
barn of similar size as well as a stable and beast house, the
whole building being 50 yards in length and 5 yards wide.
In 1809 it had four chambers and
a parlour with boarded floors and a kitchen, pantry and hall with
stone floors. There was also a turf house.
It was further enlarged or
altered in 1817 and 1829. The date stone over the front door,
RH 1829, refers to the vicar, the Revd Robert
Harrison.
Based on Raymond H. Hayes MBE FSA
and Joseph Hurst,
A History of Hutton-le-Hole, © North York Moors National Park
1988
Lastingham Parish Room is the
West room on the ground floor of the 18th
century Vicarage. It has been
used as a parish facility for as long as anyone can
remember, and in the parish terrier of 1899 is called a
‘classroom’. At the beginning of 2001 the room was seen to have
great potential but was in need of repair and refurbishment.
Challenges
and Opportunities
Lastingham Church is mentioned
in Bede’s Ecclesiastical History
(AD 731) and in
Simon Jenkins’ England’s Thousand Best Churches. It has a
rich history, both architectural and spiritual. This began
thirteen and a half centuries ago when St Cedd of Lindisfarne
founded Lastingham as a monastery. It became not only a centre for
prayer and study but also provided hospitality for travellers.
In recent years Lastingham
Church has seen many pilgrims, and each year several groups have
been booking one-day retreats. At a time when national church
attendance figures may be showing an upward turn in certain
categories, and when many people are in quest of spiritual
renewal, we feel that we ourselves should be exercising a ministry
of welcome and hospitality.
A refurbished Parish Room was
therefore seen not merely as a convenient facility for ourselves,
but also part of our wider ministry.
We envisaged a warm and homely
room, which could not only provide hospitality but also serve as a
small conference room.
What we've
done so far
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Extensive repairs, including
the replacement of rotting lintels, much of the plasterwork, the
south entrance door and all four of the cills.
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Installed central heating.
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Carried out re-wiring and installation
of new lighting.
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Installed a kitchenette unit.
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Provided office facilities:
desking, computer etc.
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Provided teaching facilities:
flip-chart easel, OHP and sound equipment.
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Displayed a selection of
books and magazines, devotional, theological and recreational,
likely to be of interest to pilgrims and others.
What
we've been using the Parish Room for
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Study and discussion groups,
Sunday School, confirmation classes etc. Snacks or a light
supper have been served on some occasions.
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Choir practice.
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Occasional worship, e.g. the
Office of Compline after a meeting.
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PCC and other meetings.
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Parish office.
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Facilities for people on
Quiet Days at the church (including for the past two years the
Bishop of Whitby’s Quiet Day for those to be ordained).
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Hospitality for youth groups
(so far, one from a boarding school and one from an inner city
parish).
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Social functions.
what
we'd like to do
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Provide cloakroom facilities
(at present the Vicarage has to be used).
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Provide a utility room, for
storage, and facilities for small groups of pilgrim walkers.
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Upgrade the area between the
two buildings to form a paved courtyard with access to the front
garden. This will require repairs to the boundary wall,
diversion of the drains, levelling and re-paving.
What will it
cost?
The four PCCs agreed to pay the
first £2500, and all of this has been spent on Phase I. We now
need to raise the remainder.
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The cost of the lighting and
wiring, plus some of the sundries, has been covered for the
moment. Some has been donated, but the remainder is to be
repaid eventually.
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The cloakroom facilities and
utility room, and upgrading the existing courtyard, will cost
£15 000 - £17 000.
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At a time
when many vicarages are being sold, you may like to visit the
website of Save Our
Parsonages.
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