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78 NOTES ON HOPE CHURCH. 
Vicarage, Hope, Sheffield, 
March roth, 1881. 
DEAR SIrR, 
I am obliged by your letter, and hope that the deputation 
will kindly let me know a few days before they come (even if 
they do not want a lift from Miller’s Dale), in order that I may 
be at home to receive them. We are not attempting a “ restora- 
tion” of the Chancel, but are intending to rebuild from the 
foundation ; the present walls are in a “‘ dangerous” state. 
Yours truly, 
HENRY BUCKSTON. 
One of our members, a well-known enemy to “restoration,” 
wrote to me, at this time, and said, “ I never was more astounded 
in my life than to hear avhat you say about Hope Church. There 
is not a more delightful old church in Derbyshire, or one that 
would suffer more from the atrocities—that is too mild a word— 
of “‘the restorer.” A little later, the same correspondent writes— 
““T have been over to Hope to-day ; I have had an interview 
with the Vicar, and have looked the Church carefully over. I 
am decidedly of opinion that it would be an act of the most 
inexcusable Vandalism to pull the Chancel down. I cannot 
conceive how such a scheme can have entered into the head of 
‘*T never knew until to-day that there 
was such a man as Abbott practising as an architect in Sheffield.” 
In the meantime, on the 12th March, Messrs. W. H. St. John 
Hope and Robinson went over to Hope, and, at the next 
meeting of the Council, their report was as follows :— 
” 
any reasonable being. 
To THE COUNCIL OF THE D. A. AnD N. H. S. 
Report on Hope Church, by F. J. Robinson and 
W. H. St. John Hope. 
Gentlemen—In accordance with your instructions, we pro- 
ceeded on Saturday, March 12th, to Hope. The Vicar, the 
Rev. H. Buckston, conducted us over the church and ex- 
plained the proposed restorations. The chancel of the church 
