A FORMER site of a 12th Century church, which was taken piece by piece to Beamish Museum, has been marked with a plaque giving its history.

St Helen's Church, in Eston cemetery, became redundant in 1978 and was dismantled in 1998 following continuous vandalism.

Every stone was numbered and taken to Beamish, where they are still stored, waiting for the museum to get funding to rebuild it.

This week, a ceremony was held to unveil a marble headstone, including a plaque and picture of the church in a pastoral setting, created by Redcar artist Audrey Sanderson.

The inscription on the plaque reads: "It is believed that this site, upon which the church of St Helen stood, may originally have been a garrison chapel of the Roman legions. The earliest remains of the church, however, date to the 12th Century."

Published: 28/05/2004