Two charitable trusts have awarded grants to a landmark church in Brighton for repairs that could lead to the scaffolding that has obscured St Peter’s for years finally to be removed.
The National Churches Trust said that it hoped that the grants would mean that the scaffolding could come down in the year when the congregation celebrates the 200th anniversary of St Peter’s.
The trust said: “The tower at St Peter’s Church has been a huge concern for years due to the eroding masonry and crumbling stone and rust.
“It is the reason why the church is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register.
“A community consultation found that 48 per cent of people could not tell if the church was open because of the scaffolding.
“The building is a much-loved local landmark and a lifeline to the local community. In 2007, 7,000 people signed a petition to keep the building open when it was set to close.
“It was then taken over by a Holy Trinity Brompton (HTB) plant in 2009. Since then, it has grown into a lively and large congregation, investing a new energy into the life of the church and hosting five services every weekend.
“As well as this, every week the church helps more than 230 people who are homeless as part of Safehaven.
“There are also 120 children and young people that take part in the weekly activities at the church.
“The church also organises church tours for people interested in heritage and history – and welcomed hundreds of people last year.
“They are excited to welcome people through the upcoming Heritage Open Days in September.
“The grade II* Listed church is to share in a £735,326 urgent funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
“A £10,000 National Churches Trust grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the tower. On the recommendation of the National Churches Trust, the church will also receive a £5,000 Wolfson fabric repair grant from the Wolfson Foundation.
“These grants will mean the church will be able to carry out urgent repairs to the building. It is hopeful that this will enable the scaffolding that is obscuring the church to finally be dismantled.
“While there will still be some work after this phase to keep the building watertight and in good condition, it is a huge achievement that the historic fabric of the building will be protected again.
“Without this project, there would have been further deterioration and the church would struggle to continue to host the wide-ranging community groups inside the building.”
May as well tear it down.
Nobody has been able to see it for a decade, most people think it’s closed and empty, so it obviously isn’t missed.
A relic of a bygone age.
It could be used as a homeless shelter – maybe practice what they preach?
Edit:
I think after the revelation this week of further atrocities carried out by the church on people under their ‘care’, it may just be better to pull it down. The time has come to rid the world of religion in all its variants, and all reminders that people used to follow these cults.