MOST Saturdays, back in 1952, the vicar of Holy Trinity Church, Blackburn, and a handful of parishioners, rolled up their sleeves and turned builder’s labourers.

The task before the Rev A J Gillespie and his gang, was to demolish his 100-year-old vicarage in the church grounds and build a new one.

The rambling, old building, which had 20 rooms, had been condemned in the late 1940s, because walls were cracking and it was sinking into the ground.

The work to replace it was led by Wilfred Simpson, of Napier Street, Blackburn, a building contractor and regular churchgoer.

His labourers included a schoolmaster, tobacconist, weaver, brewery foreman and a greengrocer.

Said the Rev Gillespie: “It’s dangerous work and we’re working every Saturday from lunchtime until dusk.” Money for the new vicarage was being raised by parishioners, with volunteers going round houses every pay night for donations to meet the £4,000 costs.

The original vicarage was built when Holy Trinity was opened in 1846.

When the Rev Dr C Moffatt was vicar there from 1879 to 1903, it was found, however, to be too small for his family of 10 children – so an extension was built.

It is also said that when the Rev, later Canon, H Thornton, followed him as incumbent he slept in all the bedrooms in turn.

In October 1944, the vicarage became the centre of national interest when triplet boys were born to Mrs Varah, wife of the Rev E Varah, who had been the vicar for seven years.