From The Gloucester Journal Saturday 30 October 1869
FIRE AT WOODCHESTER CHURCH
On Wednesday the carelessness of a workman was very nearly the cause of the burning down of Woodchester Church, erected but four or five years ago. Gas was being laid in, and a hole was bored through a beam over a chancel arch to put a pipe in. The hole was not large enough, and the clever workman employed actually burnt it larger with a heated rod! Directly after the beam was in a blaze, but being immediately seen it was promptly suppressed. The alarm brought half the village to the rescue with their entire stock of buckets.
This report may be a little dramatic! How ablaze was the beam? Did the villagers throw the water from their buckets at it or did someone nip up a ladder? It conjures up an interesting picture.
FIRE AT WOODCHESTER CHURCH
On Wednesday the carelessness of a workman was very nearly the cause of the burning down of Woodchester Church, erected but four or five years ago. Gas was being laid in, and a hole was bored through a beam over a chancel arch to put a pipe in. The hole was not large enough, and the clever workman employed actually burnt it larger with a heated rod! Directly after the beam was in a blaze, but being immediately seen it was promptly suppressed. The alarm brought half the village to the rescue with their entire stock of buckets.
This report may be a little dramatic! How ablaze was the beam? Did the villagers throw the water from their buckets at it or did someone nip up a ladder? It conjures up an interesting picture.