By Isle of Wight Observer
by Roz Whistance
An appeal to help fund the restoration of an important piece of Edwardian architecture has been launched in Totland.
Since 1908 the wooden lychgate of Christ Church, Totland Bay, has featured in many wedding photographs, and is a well-known landmark for passers-by, but it has been in a poor state for some time, and is now considered dangerous.
The lychgate was designed by Percy Goddard Stone (1856-1934), a prolific designer and architect of churches and war memorials – the Victoria Memorial in the centre of Newport is his creation, as were St Mark’s Church, Wooton and St Faith’s, Cowes. He also led the restoration of the gatehouse of Carisbrooke Castle (which now houses the museum), and afterwards of the Castle itself.
The Christ Church lychgate was built in 1906, dedicated to the memory of Frederick Wildman Burnett. Inside as well as a dedication to Burnett, a somewhat historically dubious plaque states that the wood used was taken from the timbers of HMS Thunderer 74 Guns, which fought on the Lee Line at Trafalgar.
The Latin inscription ‘Ego sum resurrectio et via’ above the gate is a biblical quotation from the Vulgate Bible (John, chapter 11, verse 25) which translates to English as ‘ I am the resurrection and the life’.
Churchwarden, Geoff Kirk, said: “As well as being important to Christ Church, it is also part of the Island’s history, but the cost of restoring it has been put in the region of £10,000.”
Due to the state of the structure, work has already begun by G J Banks of Cowes to shore up Percy Stone’s lychgate, and anyone wishing to contribute to the appeal should contact Denis Gosden at admin@christchurchtotland.org.uk or phone 07582 861966.