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Cathedral stone marks 'enduring link' with Jarrow

Hsin-Yi Lo
BBC News, South East
Guildford Cathedral A sandy-coloured stone with a coat of arms.Guildford Cathedral
The Practice Jarrow Stone is due to be transported from Guildford Cathedral to St Paul's Church in Jarrow on Wednesday

A memorial stone that has been in Guildford Cathedral is set to be loaned back to its north-eastern home town to commemorate how the people of Surrey supported Jarrow when it was deeply afflicted by poverty following World War One.

In 1934, the then High Sheriff of Surrey, Sir John Jarvis, set up the Surrey Fund, which raised £40,000 to support Jarrow residents.

As a token of thanks, Jarrow Council removed a stone from the monastery of the Venerable Bede, now called St Paul's Church, and presented it to the people of Surrey.

This gift, the Jarrow Stone, was subsequently installed in the walls of Guildford Cathedral and inscribed with Jarrow's coat of arms and the date 1934.

Getty Images Black and white photo of protesters holding up a Jarrow Crusade banner in 1936.Getty Images
In 1936, the Jarrow Crusaders marched to London to demand the right to work

Guildford Cathedral said since the Jarrow Stone could not be removed, it was loaning the "Practice Jarrow Stone" to St Paul's Church.

This practice stone was used as a preparatory piece by the stonemasons Trollope and Colls before working on the actual Jarrow Stone.

The cathedral added the loan was to coincide with the Jarvis family's visit to the church on 16 April to reflect the "enduring link between Surrey and Jarrow".

The Dean of Guildford, the Very Reverend Bob Cooper, said: "The contribution Sir John Jarvis made to the life and people of Jarrow was significant, and the continuing link between Guildford Cathedral and Jarrow will only be strengthened by the practice stone loan."

The Jarrow stone sits inside Guildford Cathedral

Councillor Judith Taylor, lead member for culture, leisure and the visitor economy at South Tyneside Council, said: "We are thrilled to see the Practice Jarrow Stone being loaned to St Paul's Church.

"The former Jarrow Council's donation of a stone from the monastery of the Venerable Bede to the people of Surrey demonstrated our area's gratitude for Surrey's support at a time of great economic hardship in the 1930s."

The practice stone is due to be collected on Wednesday at Guildford Cathedral and transported to Jarrow.

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