News
If a Job's Worth Doing...
"If a job's worth doing, it's worth doing well". It's an old saying, but it's very true. And it's a key part of our vision for the Priory restoration project.
When you see the final finish in the Priuory's downstairs rooms, we guarantee that you'll be blown away by the quality and appearance of the traditional wooden panelling we're going to install to finish things off. Everyone will see it's a job worth doing, but they'll not see what is going to be hidden behind them - the evidence that the job has been done REALLY well!
.
.
That's what our photos this week really bring home. The downstairs walls in the main meeting room, the Sir Knights' Library and the entrance hall and what is going to be a rather grand staircase, have all been stripped back, drilled, had their damp courses fitted and have now been covered with insulated foil. Now they're being battonned out so that the panelling can be attached once the second fix electrics are done.
Our man George has really cracked on this week; the transformation in just a few days is astounding.
.
.
This stage of the job isn't finished yet, but it's well underway.Special thanks to the couple of special donors whose generosity last weekend meant we could keep George moving forward without worrying about how we were going to pay for his week and the materials he used. He really is great value for such a skilled and hard-working craftsman, but even $30 or £25 really does make a difference.
Naturally, even bigger donations are even more welcome but, as another good old saying reminds us: "Many a mickle maks a muckle". If you can spare a mickle, or even a muckle, this week, we will really be very grateful!
Thank you if you can help, and God bless you if you can't. Deus Vult!
'
The Calling of the Templars
Templar Origins and Rise - Documentary
Ludlow Castle's Templar Chapel
The Entire Story of the Knights Templar
We've Got Computer Gremlins!
We've got Gremlins in our computer systems - and we know in particular that they're meddling with our Purged.tv
It seems to have started on Wednesday, and broadcasts on Purged have been playing up ever since. We thank everyone who has called or email to tell us, but ask that no-one else does so from here. We know the problem and we need to concentrate on fixing it, not fielding well meaning calls about it!
Thanks for your patience. Normal service will be resumed as soon as possible. Deus Vult!
Everyone Agreed - Give Us Fireplaces!
Everyone Agreed: Give Us Fireplaces - Priory Update
'
When we discovered the extra unexpected old fireplace in the second bedroom, we thought we should ask you what to do: Block it up again and save a bit of time and money, or make yet another room extra special and future-proofed against 'green' power cuts.
'
The response was overwhelmingly in favour of the utility and the romance of living fires, so now the die is cast. The extra fireplace has been brought out of storage and George the Builder has already got the scaffolding up at the back of the house so that all the chimneys can be lined - as dictated both by Building Regulations and common sense.
'
Everything that has to be ripped out has been ripped out, but it doesn't make sense to do anything more in these rooms until the chimneys are safely lined and clean. It's not a terribly long job, but it costs money to do it right, and quickly, so that we can press on with the renovation.
'
We need one more big push to maximise the amount of progress to show our honoured guests who will be with us for the 2025 Knighting Ceremony next month.
.
'
The special fund for this job was set at $3,000 last week, and we've made good progress towards that - many thanks to everyone who's chipped in. If you're one of those who hasn't been able to do so for a while, we pray that your circumstances change to enable you to help out now. It really will be greatly appreciated, and this is one of those jobs where, on a future visit, you'll be able to think (and to tell everyone present) "I chipped in for that. And doesn't it look fine!"
'
Thank you if you can help, and God bless you if you can't. Deus Vult!
'
The First Templar Church in Scotland
Fireplace Opportunity Opens Up
Our vision for the Priory House is that it should be a haven from the madness and problems of a deeply flawed and rapidly crumbling society. Accordingly, while it's being completely rewired for the moddern, high-tech, electronic world, we're also doing everything possible to build in resilience to the power outage chaos which looks set to become an ever-increasing problem as Net Zero madness sabotages the electricity grid.
So, apart from the fact that open fires and traditional stoves are lovely to look at and to enjoy with friends of an evening, they are also an important part of our future-proofing plan for the Priory. That's why we were delighted this week to discover a completely unexpected extra fireplace. This is in the back bedroom with the best view of the chapel and the stone cross on its roof. It's a room we already saw as extra special, but it will be even better if we reinstate the fireplace.
Imagine staying in what is going to be a superbly decorated and furnished double bedroom, complete with a living, crackling fire. Even if the green lunatics have plunged us all into darkness, Templar guests or Christian refugees will be warm and happy here.
We were already intending to restore the fireplace which we already knew was in the other best bedroom. We knew it would cost around $1,500 to put a modern liner in the chimney and we had already bought the Victorian grate and fireplace surround for it. In fact, we'd stumbled across a second one so fine that we bought it as well, "just in case". Heavy duty antiques like this are going for up to two thousand pounds each around here these days, so buying them and putting them in storage several years ago turns out to have been a wise move.
That means that we can add a touch of romance and luxury - and power cut future-proofing - to our two best bedrooms for just the cost of lining the two chimneys. Just $3,000 and the job will be done. Of course, it makes sense to have them both done at the same time, while the specialist contractor is here and up on the roof.
We need to go ahead with this as soon as possible. Can you help out? It's one of those things where everyone who chips in now and who visits later will be able to see - and even benefit personally from - the improvement their genosity helps bring about. Will you be one of these good folk? We hope so, and thank you in advance!