As you enter St. John’s churchyard from Spring Park Road you will see on your right a refurbished memorial, now mounted by a cherub.
It is timely and appropriate that this cherub should appear this autumn, as we are about to launch the new “Churchyard Trail” highlighting Trees and Biblical planting which has been undertaken this year. Appropriate because Cherubim (second highest ranking of angels, following Seraphim), are mentioned in the Bible, (Genesis 3.24), as guardians of the Garden of Eden.
It is a fortunate co-incidence really because the stone masons we use at St John’s carried out the refurbishment on the same day that they attended to undertake some essential health and safety work on unstable memorials in the churchyard.
It is worth noting that we have a regular programme of inspection of the stability of the headstones to fulfil our insurance public liability within the churchyard. The headstones and grave plot maintenance remain the responsibility of the families of those buried here. However, many graves are very old and it is often difficult to trace these families and as a safety measure until they are identified we are advised to lay down any hazardous stonework.
Bernard
