The golden anniversary of a church’s consecration promises to be a colourful affair.
Guests of honour the Bishop of St Albans Alan Smith and Trevor Wilmott, Bishop of Dover, will be attending St George’s Church in Norton tomorrow for a special service at 10.30am.
The pair will be joined by past and present members of the clergy for the anniversary – exactly 50 years ago to the day on July 27, 1964.
The church was consecrated by the-then Bishop of St Albans after the community rallied together so a second church could be built alongside the ancient parish of St Nicholas in Norton.
The need for a second church came as a result of the development of the Grange estate in Letchworth after the Second World War, and members of the community gave money on a weekly basis to support the project.
The eventual cost of the building – designed by architect Peter Bosanquet – was £46,000,
One of the distinguishing features of the church’s interior is the figure of Jesus Christ which hangs over the sanctuary and is flooded with light from the fibreglass window below.
On Sunday the inside of the building will be decorated with displays from last weekend’s flower festival, also organised to mark the milestone.
Flower festival co-ordinator Michelle Rigby said: “Flower arranging friends from around the region joined the church team in putting on a wonderful display interpreting the golden anniversary and the church’s work in the community.
“Many visitors had seen the construction of this Letchworth landmark, including a man who helped build the church and remembered climbing the spire during his lunch to wave to his wife who worked at a nearby factory!”
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