Sir — Most people in Oxford will be unaware that St Cross Church, Holywell, which has been in existence since the 12th century, will soon be closed as a church. It will become a library and archives centre for Balliol College.

There is to be a final service of Holy Communion, led by Canon Brian Mountford, at 5pm on Sunday, October 12, to mark the end of its life as a church. There has been a decline in its congregation in recent years, perhaps because so few permanent residents now live in the parish and there has not been a priest in charge for some years. As former residents of Holywell who have seen family baptisms, weddings and funerals there we are very sad that it has to close. But at least the future of the building is now assured.

We hope that it will still be possible for the interior to be enjoyed by visitors who have hitherto taken the opportunity to see inside the church when visiting its famous cemetery, where so many well-known Oxford figures are buried.

Barbara Reid and Ruth Ogden, Oxford