A bizarre act of property damage at the old Anglican church in this town outside St. John’s Wednesday morning has left parishioners and townspeople stunned and angered.
A heated debate over the future of the 116-year-old church, which has been vacant for several years, entered a new dimension just after 8 a.m. when several people went to great lengths to rip the iconic steeple from its roof.
Several of the wooden supports for the five-metre high steeple appeared to be cut with a power tool, which was then violently pried from its perch, a drop of about 10 metres to the ground. The remains of a thick blue nylon rope was found still attached to a beam inside the steeple, and observers believe whoever carried out the act used a heavy vehicle to pull it down.