Autumn 2022

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LOCAL HISTORY PHOTO BY AF Help St Dunstan’s Before it's Too Late Ann Historian on what makes St Dunstan famous and why he needs your help! Before we start, just so you know, during the 900s – before Mr Dunstan chose to branch into sainthood – he was a pretty good blacksmith and friend of the King Athelstan. He went around fixing silverware, studying and learning the harp. One story recalls him playing the harp in his forge. The Devil walked in looking for a blacksmith. Our local saint nailed a horseshoe onto the Devil’s foot instead of through his cloven hoof. He was in agony and Dunstan only agreed to take it off after “His Hornedness” promised never to step into a house with a horseshoe over the door… ring any bells? (He’s also the patron saint of bell ringing). From the beginning, Cranbrook always had a church. It would probably have started as a simple wooden shed before the invasion of William the Conquer. It was added to over the years by the town’s wealthy weaving families, with its 74ft tower completed in 1425. It was then a Catholic church, changing to Protestantism during Henry VIII’s reformations. So what is St Dunstan’s story today? Some good things are getting left behind and fighting for life. Two examples are Wimpey’s and the Church. In the 50s and 60s there were more than 1,000 Wimpey burger café’s in the UK, just 60 exist now. Their slow demise was caused by competition, erosion of customers and market forces. They are still great, and I defy anyone not to enjoy a bendy burger and knickerbocker glory, but McDonalds and all the other fast food chains squeezed them out, just like the tomato-shaped ketchup dispensers on every table, sadly missed. Luckily, the Church of England isn’t in the burger business, but it has shrunk from owning 2,000,000 acres of land to 111,628, some in Cranbrook and Sissinghurst. St Dunstan’s is suffering a lack of money. It can’t raise the money it needs to survive and thrive. It is in desperate need of funds and support, and people to put that into practice. So what is the problem? Humans – or a lack of them. As Wimpey needed more bums on seats, The Church needs more parishioners on pews. This article isn’t a call to embrace religion, more a report of the current state of play with the biggest tourist attraction in our great town. 22 The Cake • Autumn 2022
LOCAL HISTORY It is a stunning church, with interesting curiosities; the statue of Old Father Time on the tower; the clock and bells, forged in Cranbrook and the prototype for Big Ben; the font added to offer full submersion baptisms. There are also stained glass windows, famed for their historical and beautiful detail. All these idiosyncrasies make our church a VERY special gem. Churchwarden, David Riddick, 80, will retire in the spring and needs to find a replacement to train up and we must also support our next vicar. Our church needs fundraising just to keep up with repairs. We need experts in marketing, branding, fundraising, accountancy and banking, land management, construction and everything else related to running a stately building of outstanding interest. It needs clever minds. Whether you are a Christian, Moslem, Arsenal supporter or a former member of Mossad, our blacksmith Saint needs your help. If we don’t address the problem now, it will escalate. Our church could soon look like the Providence Chapel, collapsing, shrouded in scaffolding. Can you bring your skills to save our unique “cathedral?” STAPLEHURST COMMUNITY CHIROPRACTIC The Cake • Autumn 2022 23
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Autumn 2022

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