Holy smoke, old tree hits roof of church
The full force of nature at its most powerful brought part of a huge ancient tree crashing down on to a church roof.
Lightning struck the 100ft sequoia in High Trees, Waterlooville, at 2.30am yesterday morning. About a third of it fell and hit the roof of London Road Baptist Church, making a hole and smashing a window.
Debris from the tree was strewn across the church grounds and along High Trees, filling at least three trucks full of broken branches.
It is believed to be around 150 years old, planted to commemorate the Battle of Waterloo after which the town is named. It is the last in the road named after the row huge of sequoias that once stood there majestically.
Minister Bill Longley said: 'I got a call from the church secretary about 8.45am who said the sound of it falling was so loud it was as if his house had been struck.
'It all happened at about 2.30am and it looks as though about a third of it has come off. It is sad because it is part of the area's local history.
'It was here well before the church was built and we have put a guess of about 150 years on it. The Heroes of Waterloo pub is nearby – there is a lot linking the area to the Battle of Waterloo.
'There will only be about 60-70ft remaining but I'm hopeful the tree will survive.'
A team from the Highways Agency have spent all morning clearing away the broken branches. A nearby fence was also damaged.
Heavy downpours and thunder and lightning were felt across the area on Monday night and the early hours of Tuesday morning. Despite the sun coming out yesterday the rain is heading back today.
Rev Sam Owoo, assistant minister at the church, said: 'We have to look into whether the damage is covered by insurance – we hope it is. It is not a massive hole considering the size of the tree. We may have to slightly scale back our activities to keep people away from it.'
LOCAL LEGEND
Legend has it that Waterlooville was founded after the Battle of Waterloo in Belgium, in 1815.
As troops came home they passed through Hampshire and when a local publican opened the doors of his inn he found a long line of weary soldiers who had just disembarked at Portsmouth returning home from battle.
The pub was named the Heroes of Waterloo – now known simply as The Heroes. Some settled in the area and the town grew up around them.
Around the town there are numerous locations which are linked to it such The Wellington Inn.
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Weather for Portsmouth
Friday 25 May 2012
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