A vicar has blessed a laptop with incense to help revive a long forgotten tradition of choral service.

Father John Dickens, of St Mary’s Church, joined other vicars around the UK in an unorthodox ceremony to mark the launch of a new website promoting choral evensong.

Father John Dickens, who described the laptop as the most “peculiar” item he has blessed, said: “It is very unusual – it is very quirky.

“I have never blessed a laptop before.

“But it was an act of symbolism showing the church’s approval of the website.

“We would usually carry out a blessing with water but after talks we decided it wouldn’t be a good idea to get water on the laptop.”

The website, which went live last Sunday morning listed the church as one of the first in its database as holding evensong performances.

Evensong is a 45-minute-long church service, in which the “song” of the choir is heard at the “even” point of the day and night.

And St Mary’s Choir director, Colin Baldy, said the bid to revive one of England’s long-forgotten traditions, is a “wonderful idea.”

He said: “it is the bedrock of choral tradition in the UK but sadly has been in decline.

“Of course, blessing a laptop is peculiar, we at the choir thought it was peculiar.

“But I think it is an absolutely brilliant concept.

“It brings people together and it brings churches together.

“With St Mary’s as the only church in the Dengie that holds evensong, people from all around will be able to hear.”

The blessing was performed to about 60 church-goers, with help from churchwardens Sally Swift and June Davies.

The website, choralevensong.org, was the brainchild of Dr Guy Hayward, a former student at Trinity College, Cambridge.