Police are hunting a group of lead thieves after they stole the entire roof of a historic 13th-century church, causing more than £200,000 of damage.
Grade II-listed St Mary the Virgin in Furneux Pelham, Herts, has been left open to the elements after the attack, leaving daylight clearly visible through the rafters.
Thieves targeted the building on two consecutive nights, removing lead tiles from the building on Saturday and then again the following evening.
Grade II-listed St Mary the Virgin in Furneux Pelham, Herts, has been left open to the elements after the attack, leaving daylight clearly visible through the rafters
Thieves targeted the building on two consecutive nights, removing lead tiles from the building on Saturday and then again the following evening
The church of St Mary the Virgin in Furneux Pelham mainly dates from the 15th-century, apart from the 13th-century chancel (the section by the altar) and one 16th-century chapel
By Monday morning the entire roof had been removed, but piles of lead had been left on the ground by the church, leading officers to believe the offenders may have been disturbed by local people.
At risk is the church's stunning 15th-century roof, complete with richly painted beams and carved angels.
Angels and other images in parish churches were often a target for Puritan vandals during the Reformation, when many were destroyed.
Those at Furneux Pelham were restored and repainted in the 1960s by artist John Norbury.
The church of St Mary the Virgin in Furneux Pelham mainly dates from the 15th-century, apart from the 13th-century chancel (the section by the altar) and one 16th-century chapel.
The undoubted highlight is its stunning 15th-century roof, complete with richly painted beams and carved angels, which were restored in the 1960s by artist John Norbury.
Other features include a 13th-century font of Purbeck marble and two altar tombs from the 15th- and 16th-centuries showing local worthies, and several memorial brasses.
Two stained glass windows are the work of famed Victorian craftsman William Morris and Edward Burne Jones.
Source: Furneux Pelham conservation area local plan.
Chief Inspector Stuart Orton said: 'This is one
