1 February 2012

Please note: this news article is in our archive. Articles were correct at time of publication, but should not be relied on for accuracy after the passage of time.

THE award-winning Tunbridge Wells Orpheus Male Voice Choir is giving a charity concert on 3 March to support the restoration of St Mary’s in Windmill Lane.

The choir, which reached the final of the 2010 Kent Top Choir competition, will be performing a rousing programme of spirituals, jazz, hymns and show tunes. Tickets/details £10 from Andrew Bass on 01342 850511.

St Mary’s launched a £100,000 campaign to restore the landmark Windmill Lane church in 2010, and has already raised enough to repair the distinctive bell turret.

But more work must be done to make the church watertight and fit to serve future generations in the town.

St Mary’s was built at the end of the 19th Century to meet the needs of the northern half of East Grinstead at a time when the town was expanding towards Felbridge and had few amenities north of the railway line.

The only Anglican church in the town with its own school, it contains many interesting and historical features including a side altar by the great 20th century church architect and designer Sir Ninian Comper.

St Mary’s is also known for its fine stained glass windows, several of which are by Geoffrey Webb (1879-1954).

Geoffrey Webb lived and worked in the centre of East Grinstead at the height of his career and is noted among enthusiasts of fine glass for his use of brilliant blues. In his early career he worked with Charles Eamer Kempe, the most prolific and best-known stained glass artist of his generation.

Webb’s work can also be found in many other places around the UK including Manchester Cathedral and Tewkesbury Abbey, and in Daresbury parish church in Cheshire where he designed a memorial window in honour of Lewis Carroll.