His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester officially unveiled the latest restoration works at St Mary’s Church in Goudhurst.
The Duke attended the event following the restoration of St Mary’s Culpepper effigies and the installation of a unique stained-glass window incorporating the coats of arms of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and His Royal Highness Prince Philip, The late Duke of Edinburgh.
An environmental survey revealed that sunlight passing through the window above the effigies was exposing them to ultraviolet rays. The survey recommended replacing the existing glazing with specialist UV-protective glass to safeguard these important medieval monuments.
The window was designed following extensive historical research by Leonie Seliger ACR, Director of the Cathedral Studios, Canterbury, who also oversaw its manufacture and installation.
With the new protective glazing in place, the conservation of the wooden effigies was undertaken by Valentine Walsh and Megan Arch in September 2025.
During the visit, The Duke met members of The Friends of St Mary the Virgin, a charity established to help fund the preservation and maintenance of the historic fabric and property of the church. The charity raised money for the works through fundraising events. Talking about raising the funds, former chair of The Friends of St Mary’s, Pamela Stubbs, said: “One of the big fundraisers was a mock-up of the window.
“So, the slogan was ‘be a diamond, buy a pane’, and people would buy a pane in memory of people or for their family.”
The Duke also met a variety of St Mary’s community groups, from Cafe Toddlers to its youth group and charitable works.
Speaking about the restoration works, The Revd Rachel Robertson - Vicar of St Mary’s Goudhurst with Christ Church Kilndown said: “We’ve got an amazing church here that has been looked after for generations, and what we’re seeing is another group of people who are passionate about that, passing that on to enthuse the next generation, and if we carry on doing that, then it will mean that this building and all its stories and its richness will be able to be a blessing in every generation to come.”
To find out more about how you could fundraise in your church setting, visit our Generous Giving webpage.