Dress rehearsals start for nativity
Spruced up, with a fresh wardrobe and ready for her close up, Mary gazes wistfully at the empty manger, focused on the imminent birth of the baby who changed the world for ever.
She is one of a set of old and tired plaster and wire models making up the nativity undergoing sympathetic repair and careful repainting where necessary,
A recorder-playing shepherd and dog (below) are the latest to get a walk on part. A wise man is already waiting in the wings after his conservation.
The nativity has always been set on the floor in front of the nave altar, so few noticed their deterioration or saw the fine detail in them - or that behind them in the east window is a premonition about how the still to be born Holy Child’s earthly life will end.
