A Barnard Castle chartered surveyor has dished out a huge measure of Christmas kindness by restoring a festive piece of the town’s history.
More at home calculating figures relating to the value of land and buildings, Jonathan Wallis has lovingly restored the nativity figures and the crib which used to stand outside the Methodist Church until vandalism and safety concerns prevented them from being publicly displayed.
The figures of Mary, Joseph, the infant Jesus, shepherds and the three wise men were donated to Jonathan by Barnard Castle Town Council when they heard that residents of Startforth were looking to light up their village for Christmas. Together with Jonathan’s ex Design Technology teacher, Alan Beaty and the facilities of Barnard Castle School, the pair set to work to build a new crib to house the historic figures.
The Crib is located at the old infants’ school at Startforth which is now the location of Jonathan’s office and which was coincidently, his first school. The coincidences don’t end there either. The original crib structure was refurbished by inmates from Deerbolt Young Offenders Institution and Jonathan’s late mother worked there as a health and social care lecturer and probably taught some of the inmates who worked on it.
“The crib and the figures are very important to me and many people from our area. For as long as I can remember the crib was erected outside of the Methodist Church in Barnard Castle as part of the Christmas lights display and I remember looking at it from a very young age. It’s part of my own and the town’s social and personal history and I’m delighted to be able to restore it to its former glory for the benefit of everyone,” said Jonathan.
The original structure has an interesting history. After being proudly displayed for many Christmases the crib was regularly vandalised and damaged. Some of the figures were stolen, set on fire and found along the river banks. The vandalised crib structure was replaced in 2001 with a new one which existed until 2017 when the display developed a number of safety issues which led to it being withdrawn from display.
“I’d like to thank the town council, Alan Beaty and everyone who has had an input into the restoration project. I’d like to think that our work will be fondly looked back on in years to come by today’s young people who like me, were mesmerised by the wonderful sight telling the true story of Christmas,” said Jonathan.
From professional property valuations to advice on landlord and tenant matters and troubleshooting for development agencies, Jonathan has a wealth of knowledge and experience built up within his own business over the past two years and prior to that more than a decade working as a partner at one of the region’s biggest estate agencies.
Jonathan Wallis Chartered Surveyor 07921134505. jonathan@jonathanwalliscs.co.uk
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