Landmark church could close without £40,000 gutter repairs
ONE of Birmingham’s landmark churches may have to close if £40,000 is not raised for emergency repairs before Christmas.
St Paul’s Church, described as the jewel of the Jewellery Quarter, needs the cash to seal the guttering and stop water pouring in through the ceiling during heavy rain.
The grade I-listed church has stood in a peaceful, treelined, Georgian square for nearly 250 years and attracts thousands of visitors each month.
But interim vicar Andrew Gorham says if the repairs are not carried out before the winter kicks in the future of the picturesque church looks uncertain.
“The guttering of the church is worn out and therefore the water is getting into the church when we have heavy rain,” he says.
“It gets into the church and causes a lot of damage to the interior of the building.
“We need to raise £40,000 to have guttering lined and to prevent water coming in. It will make the building watertight.
“The danger is that if we do not get the guttering lined, the ceilings will collapse and we would stop using the building. We could close, or have a very limited use of the building.
“Fundraising is very challenging. We’ve put in a number of applications for charity funding and we are also doing a number of events like a fete on Saturday and Sunday.
“We have raised £5,000 so far.”
The church is open up to four times a week and also holds concerts, conferences and events.
Mr Gorham is confident that kind-hearted Brummies and the local community will pull together and help them reach their target.
“We want St Paul’s to become the hub of the Jewellery Quarter,” he adds.
“We hope the Jewellery Quarter is going to get behind us and, with their help and encouragement, we will keep the building open.”
Visitors are invited to order a picnic provided by Hive Birmingham this weekend.