St Lawrence Church in Abbots Langley are preparing to celebrate 50 years since the re-hallowing of the church in 1971, after it was badly damaged by fire two years earlier.
The church was struck by the damage on February 12, 1969, when the vicar at the time, Reverend Hugh Kennedy, had only been in the parish for three weeks.
Thirty firemen from four local stations raced to the scene and six appliances fought the blaze for more than an hour. There was damage to stained glass windows and a large area of the roof before the fire was brough under control.
Two years of rebuilding work followed at a cost of £44,000, including some internal alterations to the pews and to the position of the organ. People queued for hours to get a glimpse of the restored church on February 18, 1971.
On the same date 50 years later (Thursday, February 18), St Lawrence will be marking the anniversary of the re-hallowing of the church. Bigger celebrations were planned but have had to be scaled back as a result of the pandemic.
The service will however be streamed on their Facebook page.
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