jane-austen | The Parish of Badshot Lea and Hale

St John’s Church needs just another £5,500 to fund repairs to its tower which, at 181 years old, is crumbling.

Repairs to the tower will cost more than £32,000 and we have raised almost £27,000 through donations, fundraising events and grants. As the work is urgent and a stonemason is available in mid- September, we need to find the final £5,500 in time to pay the bill. There is another fundraising evening coming up in September. For details, click here.

The church was opened in 1844 and was designed by Benjamin Ferrey, a pupil of the famous architect Pugin. It looks older than many Victorian churches as it is in the Romanesque style which dominated church architecture in the 11^th to 12^th century. It was extended in 1897 to accommodate a growing congregation following the expansion of Aldershot as a garrison town.

Rector Rev’d Lexi Russell said: “What an incredible effort from everyone involved! The community has come together with creative ways to raise the funds to repair the tower of our beautiful church. We are now on the home stretch, with one final push to reach our goal before mid-September. St John’s has stood as a beacon of hope on Hale Road for generations, and with your continued support, we can ensure it remains so for generations to come.”

The parish has received grants from Farnham Town Council, the Church of England, Marshall’s Charity, the Surrey Churches Preservation Trust and Benefact Trust, and has fundraised through events such as the recent Pugs and Prejudice, a celebration of dogs in literature, especially that of Jane Austen. Individuals have also given generously, meaning that there is almost enough money to repair the tower of this much-loved church which has been part of the Hale landscape for almost 200 years.

To donate to tower fund, contact Rev’d Lexi Russell on 07792 233477 or rev.lexi@badshotleaandhale.org, or visit our fundraising page here.

Join us at St John’s Church on Friday 4^th July at 7pm as we celebrate the 250^th anniversary of Jane Austen’s birth, with Pugs and Prejudice, an entertaining talk about Austen’s life as well as the dogs and costumes of the Regency period. Admission is free.

The talk will be given by Jenny Colquhoun, a local Jane Austen expert and enthusiast. She will be assisted by her Maltese dog, Lilli (pictured above). The pair will be dressed in matching Regency outfits and there will be a selection of bonnets, top hats, waistcoats and cravats for you to try on, too.

To accompany the event, Margaret Emberson and Lesley and Bob Shatwell will play Regency music, and there will be refreshments, including homemade cakes. You will also have a chance to win some Maltesers from Lilli.

You may have visited Jane Austen’s home in Chawton, but did you know that her family also had a Farnham connection? Jane’s brother, Henry, became a curate in Farnham in 1819. This raises the question, did Jane ever visit her brother in Farnham? Henry has often been described as her favourite brother, so it seems hard to believe that she never travelled here. There is nothing in her letters to suggest that she did but, since some of her letters were burned by her sister, it is fun to imagine that perhaps Jane was familiar with our town too.

Join us on Friday, July 4th, at 7pm, at St John’s, Hale, for an entertaining evening of doggy tales and tails, bonnets and bows. Although admission is free, there will be the opportunity to make a donation towards restoring St John’s tower. Please let us know if you are coming as we need to know how many to cater for and Lilli wants to know how many packs of Maltesers to pop in her Regency reticule. Call 07842761919 or email admin@badshotleaandhale.org.