THE great, great, great, great nephew of Victorian cricket hero Fuller Pilch has helped identify his ancestor’s grave with an old family photo, allowing a multi-million pound development to go ahead at Christ Church University.
Yourcanterbury broke the story last month that Pilch – the Victorian Ian Botham – was buried somewhere in the grounds of St Gregory’s Church, after the university announced plans to build a state of the art music centre at the site.
But no one knew the exact location of Pilch’s grave, as the marker had been moved to St Lawrence Ground, home of Kent, in the 1970s. The centre could not be built until the 19th Century cricket star’s last resting place had been found.
But Peter Pilch, a direct descendant of the famous sportsman, provided the vital piece of the puzzle.
He showed the university an old family photo, taken in the 1950s, featuring Peter's mother, Doris Olive, standing next to the grave on the south side of St Gregory's Church.
The university is planning to build its new music centre in grounds to the north of the church and therefore, Fuller Pilch's grave will not be affected by the project.
A university spokesman said the photo had been very helpful in locating the grave, and said two other Canterbury residents had also come forward to help locate the grave.
Twin sisters Jacqui Shipton and Donna Sayer, now 49, remembered playing in the graveyard as children and both recalled the location.
As part of the project, the university may also consider marking the cricketer's grave so that the location is never lost again.
Canterbury Christ Church University bought the graveyard in 1981, where more than 200 remains are interred. Planners are in the process of carrying out a survey of other graves on the site.
Any remains affected by the proposed development will be reinterred in a dedicated area within the churchyard.
When this is complete, work will start on a state-of-the-art auditorium, purpose built for live music performance. The project is expected to cost £8 million.
When complete the new 350 seat venue should be one of the finest music performance spaces in the county, attracting international artists to the city.
POSTED: 04/07/2008 12:51:53
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