Surely a bit of lateral
thinking is needed with recourse to Burley’s Parish Church spire.
Why don’t they rid St Mary of that overbearing wimple and take a
leaf from Norman Shaw’s book? St Margaret’s ecclesiastical
emporium on Queens Road in Ilkley shows there’s no need for a
spire. The lack of things pointed saves brass all round. You can
still have bells or long playing records of same, and possible future
expansion outwards instead of upwards. Inwardly St Mary’s shows
it’s rustic heritage when compared to Shaw’s religious
magnificence. The continued use of pews restricts the use of the
building to that of formal prayer. Whereas at St Margaret’s chairs
have long taken the place of pews and it’s interior used for many
and varied events. Time to cast off the
old and bring in the new!
