Theives steal silver from church
Thieves have ripped the safe off the wall in the vestry of St Luke's Church at Linch and stolen thousands of pounds of priceless antique silver.
The shocking discovery was made shortly before the service was due to start at St Luke's.
"The safe was bolted to the wall in the vestry above another safe," said churchwarden David King,
"We believe it was taken some time between Thursday and Friday night."
He said that St Luke's was never locked, unlike its sister church at Milland which parishioners believed was slightly more remote than the Linch church.
He said 20 pieces, which were mostly solid silver, were inside the safe.
They included chalices which were used only on special occasions and two which were in constant use at Sunday services.
Thieves also got away with several solid silver patens – communion plates – and silver collecting plates and flagons.
"Some of the silver came from Treyford Church which was demolished many years ago and some from Iping Marsh Church which was demolished in the 1980s after it fell into disrepair," said Mr King.
"It was decided to keep the silver here for historic reasons, so we could display it when it was felt appropriate on special occasions."
The most treasured piece was a 300-year-old chalice presented to Linch by the Bishop of Chichester in 1705.
Another was a silver salver given by the Hawkshaw family in 1907.
There was also a silver flagon made in Birmingham in 1791 and a chalice given by Mrs Piggott in 1946.
"It is all heavily engraved," said Mr King, "and is security-marked."
"It is insured for 25,000, but in historic terms it is priceless and we all feel terrible.
"We were all dumbfounded at our Sunday service."
Linch is currently without a vicar since the Rev Anthony Hulbert retired earlier this summer, so Mr King reported the matter to the Archdeacon of Horsham, the Ven Roger Coombes, in whose area the church stands.
"What a horrid thing to happen," he said. "In my seven years as archdeacon of 180 churches I have not known a safe and contents to have been stolen before."
Mr King said the parochial church council took the decision many years ago to keep the church open through the day and night.
"We always felt it was a place where people should feel free to go in and out whenever they wanted to."
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Monday 13 February 2012
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