A MUSIC concert will take place this weekend to mark more than 12 years' restoration of a village church.
Ellerton Priory Church will host Music Divine on Sunday – its first ever summer musical extravaganza.
Ellerton Church Preservation Trust has spent the years restoring the mediaeval building, and have been eager to arrange a special event despite n
ot having completed the work.
Chairman Phil Thomas said: “For the very first time we feel we’re in a position to do it.
“Although it’s not complete yet, the place looks wonderful and I’d say it’s the best condition it’s been in for more than a century!
“We were there at the weekend and we couldn’t stop grinning – there’s a real sense of achievement.”
The church stands at the very end of the village on the site of a monastery founded in 1203.
The church was closed in the late 1970s and fell into major disrepair.
When the trust was set up, part of the church roof was missing, all of the windows were smashed, dead pigeons and pigeon droppings covered the interior and the churchyard was overgrown.
Since then the yard has been cleared, the exterior restored and improvements have been made to the interior using traditional methods and materials, such as limestone.
To celebrate they are inviting the Leeds-based choir, Cantabile, for a performance on Sunday at 3pm.
Formed last year, the group of singers promises a diverse programme ranging from madrigals to swing, well-known traditional songs and more recent works.
Tickets are £3 per person (£1.50 concessions) and are available only on the door, so people are being advised to arrive early to be sure of a seat, or bring along their own stool.
The full article contains 300 words and appears in Pocklington Post newspaper.
