Historic Oxford churchyard fenced after storm damage

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 27 Oct, 17:02 · Archive

St Mary and St Nicholas churchyard in Littlemore was fenced off after Storm Austen damaged a large cedar tree on Saturday.

The historic churchyard at St Mary and St Nicholas Church in Littlemore, Oxford, has been fenced off for safety reasons following Storm Austen on Saturday, October 24. The grade II listed church building dates to the 1830s. Winds during the storm reached up to 45mph.

A large cedar tree in the churchyard suffered significant damage in the high winds, with several branches falling and others requiring urgent attention. Oxford City Council's ODS Tree Service was made aware of the large branch failures at 7.45am on Monday. The council has taken responsibility for clearing the fallen branches and assessing the safety of the tree and other trees in the churchyard, as it is classified as a 'closed' churchyard.

Church Warden Penny Powell said: 'We are hopeful that the tree can be saved, but won't know for sure until the work is completed.' Oxford City Council said the churchyard would remain closed at least until the end of Tuesday, October 27, and was expected to reopen on Wednesday once tree surgeons had completed their work.

How it is being reported

• Historic churchyard fenced off after storm for 'safety'St Mary and St Nicholas churchyard in Littlemore has been fenced off since the weekend for 'safety' concerns.Oxfordshire Guardian · 27 Oct, 16:30
• Historic churchyard fenced off after storm for 'safety'St Mary and St Nicholas churchyard in Littlemore has been fenced off since the weekend for 'safety' concerns.Oxford Mail · 27 Oct, 16:30

In this story: St Mary and St Nicholas Church · Littlemore · Oxford · Oxford City Council · Penny Powell

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