Church tower collapses to reduce 150-year-old place of worship to rubble but luckily there is no service taking place at the time

  • Emergency services were called to St John the Baptist Church in High Toynton, Lincolnshire on Sunday 
  • A historic tower had collapsed on the site of worship, but luckily nobody was reported to have been injured
  • Village known as 'doubly thankful' as it's one of the only places servicemen came back from both World Wars 

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Shocking pictures have revealed the extent of the damage caused to a 150-year-old place of worship which has been reduced to rubble after a tower collapsed on it.

Emergency services were called to Grade II-listed St John the Baptist Church in High Toynton, Lincolnshire on Sunday morning, after a historic tower, built-in 1872, came down without warning.

The area is known as a 'doubly thankful' village, as it is one of only 14 places in the UK where all servicemen came back from worth World Wars.

Sniffer dogs were brought in by the fire service to search the rubble for bodies - but fortunately nobody was reported injured.

The church would usually have been packed with parishioners but there was not a service on Sunday.

The remains of the church have been cordoned off by police while an online fundraiser has been set up to help raise £100,000 towards the cost of the repairs.

Shocking aerial photos (as above) show the extent of the damage caused to the church when the tower fell on it on Sunday

Shocking aerial photos (as above) show the extent of the damage caused to the church when the tower fell on it on Sunday 

The picture above shows where the tower had collapsed, cascading into grave stones and the grass outside the church

The picture above shows where the tower had collapsed, cascading into grave stones and the grass outside the church 

The church is pictured above before the tower, which is seen left, collapsed onto the rest of the building, causing damage
The church after the accident
Slide me

The church is seen (left) before the tower fell down and crashed into the rest of the building. It is seen right after the accident 

A structural engineer was inspecting the site this morning with the Reverend Charles Patrick.

He said: 'It's obviously a great shock to see the devastation and a great gaping hole.

'The fire service did a thorough job and brought in dogs just to ensure nobody was found.'

Horncastle Police tweeted: 'We have been supporting the community of High Toynton with Horncastle firefighters after the collapse of the church tower.

'No injuries to report thankfully and we will be supporting the community with regular 24 hours checks of the site.'

A set of aerial photos revealed the damage and showed how far the debris had spread in the church grave yard in Lincolnshire

A set of aerial photos revealed the damage and showed how far the debris had spread in the church grave yard in Lincolnshire 

From this angle you can see exactly where the church tower had sat before it fell onto the rest of the building on Sunday

From this angle you can see exactly where the church tower had sat before it fell onto the rest of the building on Sunday 

A cordon has now been put around the rubble in order to protect the parishioners. It looks as though the cordon is attached to the grave stones

A cordon has now been put around the rubble in order to protect the parishioners. It looks as though the cordon is attached to the grave stones 

Police and Crime Commissioner for Lincolnshire, Marc Jones, also tweeted: 'What a terrible shock for the whole community.

'Glad that everyone is safe but what a sad sight to see.'

There has been a parish church at the site since the 13th century and the current building was constructed using mainly greenstone in 1872 by Ewan Christian.

The architect, who also restored Southwell Minster and Carlisle Cathedral, reused 12th-century fragments and Norman stone from the previous church erected in 1779.

Included in the church is a bank of Living Memories, which includes a resident's diary of 1939 to 1941.

Group administrator of Horncastle churches Debbie Knight said: 'The Reverend is there this morning with the structural engineer.

Bits of rubble can be seen left on the floor above and include what looks to be some sort of light fixture, which is seen on the grass

Bits of rubble can be seen left on the floor above and include what looks to be some sort of light fixture, which is seen on the grass

'There was not a service yesterday and we believe the collapse happened in the morning.'

A JustGiving page has been set up by Robert Tomkinson, a villager who got married in the church, to raise money to rebuild the church tower.

Robert said: 'On Sunday, January 19, the tower of St John the Baptist church in High Toynton collapsed, taking down almost 150 years of history.

'Thankfully no one was hurt.

'The rest of the building is still standing - but the challenge of rebuilding starts now and the village will need all the help it can get!

'We don't know how much we will need at this stage but the final figure will no doubt be very high - all money raised here will go to the High Toynton Village Fund.

'The church is the heart of village life (and the only community building left after the bus stop!). It hosts church services and music nights throughout the year.

'If you have any connection to High Toynton - we need your help.

'There is so much history behind this wonderful building.

'There has been a church on this site since the 13th century and High Toynton is one of only 14 villages in the UK to be 'doubly thankful' - with everyone who fought in both World Wars returning home.

'This fundraising target will be updated once the full costs of rebuilding are known - but any money you can give will help.'

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