ON a site just north of the railway station at High Wycombe, Bishop Parker of Northampton on Saturday afternoon laid the foundation stone of a new £40,000 church.
The new church will eventually replace St Augustine's bdilt 66 years ago and now quite incapable of coping with the ever-increasing population.
'T'here to see the ceremony were Fr. Bainbridge, parish priest of High Wycombe. Canon Davidson of Beaconsfield and a large number of other priests, nuns and laity.
The stone, a small one, was found to be too small to place the offertory plate on. Then there was some amusement when the plate could not be produced anyway because the verger was on holiday and he had locked it up. Thereupon a visiting priest placed a large portmanteau on the ground-and it was filled to capacity with offerings for the new church.
Among the crowd present was Mr. Charles Haynes of Hanwell, who 60 years ago was a choirboy with Lawrence Youens (born at High Wycombe and later Bishop Youens) at the Anglican church in High Wycombe.
Both were interested when Bishop Riddell made a visitation of St. Augustine's Church, and both were later received into the Church.
Mr. Haynes was presented to Bishop Parker, successor of Bishop Riddell and Bishop Youens, on Saturday.