Two four-foot high stone pinnacles and one stone cross, which took almost 500 man hours to sculpt, have been raised onto the roof of Oundle Parish Church.

The new ornaments are the work of local craftsman Richard McCrone who has taken months of  painstaking research to uncover what the former 700-year-old stonework may have looked like.

He has now created intricate carvings on the pinnacles including a schoolmaster complete with mortarboard and a crowned king. They are made out of Ancaster hard white weather-resistant stone.

"This is wonderful work and it is important for our generation to continue to beautify the church building for the benefit of the local community", commented the vicar of St Peter's Church Rev Canon Richard Ormston.