Ebenezer Scrooge’s Shrewsbury gravestone restored at Christmas time
BBCThe headstone of Ebenezer Scrooge has been restored, after being torn to pieces by vandals in November.
The stone was left in the graveyard of St Chad’s Church in Shrewsbury after it was used as a prop in the filming of the film adaptation of A Christmas Carol in 1984.
Local company Midland Masonry made the repairs for free, completing most of the work on Friday and returning on Monday to repair the cracks.
“It’s a bit of a challenge but nothing unusual other than the name on the grave,” said mason Ed Jones.
Mr Jones said the stone, which once belonged to a real person, would no longer look exactly the same as it did.
“They (the public) will unfortunately see the cracks, but it will look fine, you can read it again you can see what it is.”
“It looks like it’s been restored and that’s really what we want to see,” he said.
Helen Ball, town clerk at Shrewsbury Town Council, said it was “delighted and gratifying” that the company carried out the work for free.
“I don’t think I realized how important it is to everyone until I put it on social media,” he said.
He said that when the news broke he had received messages from all over the country and even the world.
“In 1984, the son of the producer of the original film contacted us,” he said.
“He said his father was always proud that it (the stone) was left in place.”
The renovations take place just in time for Christmas, when tours are held to show people the remaining sets from the iconic film.
Nigel Hinton, a town guide, said, “You see people coming specifically looking for that grave.”
He said people “make pilgrimages to see this tomb, they’ve seen the movie and they know it’s here, and they like to come and see it.”
