Historic English church faces closure due to steep repair bill

A 200-year-old Anglican church in central England plans to shut its doors due to more than $300,000 in needed building repairs after years of water damage.

The Parish Church of St. John the Baptist in Dodworth, England, received a steep repair estimate following surveys on the damage to the historic building. The surveys revealed a need for structural repairs to beams, fixing of water damage, and a complete replacement of the old slate roof. The church had begun fundraising in April and raised over $8,000 before the repair bill increased from the initially estimated $53,000 to $332,000. Church officials decided to close the building permanently after the surveys, although they will hold a public consultation meeting in August before ratifying the decision.

What are church leaders saying? Church Canon Keith Farrow said he deeply regretted having to close the church because he knew what the building meant to people. Farrow expressed sympathy for the many families whom he said have been hatched, matched, and dispatched at the church and are attached to it.

The Dodworth church is listed on England’s historical register as Grade II, which signifies a building of special interest.