monument.

Construction on the Unfinished Church in St. George's, property of the Bermuda National Trust, first began in the 1800s and now Englishman Lee Saunders and Bermudian Dean Saunders are determined to finish the job.

The building was never completed because conflicts over the church doctrine split the parish and impeded funding.

The duo have been employed by the National Trust to supervise the project which was restarted by Les Barrett in 1992.

Mr. Barrett, a local stonemason, was awarded the 1996 National Trust Silver Palmetto Award for his efforts to revive the church.

Lee Saunders arrived on the Island in March, bringing with him a resume which includes work on England's Westminster Abbey and Buckingham Palace.

Dean Saunders, seconded by the Ministry of Works & Engineering, has been working on the project for four years.

The pair will replace some of the stones found on the arches of the towers and generally restore the stonework to make the church safe.

They hope to eventually open the church for wedding ceremonies and other appropriate functions. The restoration of the church was made possible by donations from the late Mrs. Walter Jones and family.

To assist their endeavour, Lee and Dean have access to a set of seven architectural plans which show how the church should have looked had it been completed.

In October 1996, Fidelity International handed the plans over to the Bermuda Archives.

They were drawn by the office of William Hay, a Scottish architect whose firm also designed the Island's Anglican Cathedral and Government House.

UNFINISHED CHURCH -- The building was never completed because conflicts over the church doctrine split the parish and impeded funding.