Work commenced today on the Methodist Church spire and tower, which have become victims of serious corrosion. They need to be removed, restored and rebuilt, and at the same time, the clock which was made in 1850 and is one of only three ever to be made entirely of cast iron, is to be removed, restored and each of the clock faces will be replaced.
The work should last about 28 weeks, allowing for a 2 week break at Christmas. The 150 foot tower will be dismantled, brick by brick, to enable steel supports to be installed and then, with every brick having been labelled, the tower will be reconstructed.
The contractors will be creating a 'building site' at the front of the church with loading ramps across the front lawn - to avoid delivery vehicles blocking the driveway, all deliveries will be received directly onto the loading bay from Chapel Road. For the duration of the works the church clock and bell will be stopped.
Rev Ben Clowes said "After so much hard work in preparation and fundraising, it is good to see the work finally beginning. This, however, gives us a greater impetus for closing the funding gap we currently have and we hope that the village will continue to support us as we seek to preserve the spire and the first public clock in Alderley Edge."
Last year, English Heritage recognised the importance of the Alderley Edge Methodist Church as a community resource and awarded a grant of £323,000 towards the work, leaving the Church itself to find the remainder of the cost through major fundraising initiatives. A further £75,000 is still required to complete the project so parishioners are working on a number of fundraising initiatives to help them meet their target in 2011.
Following the success of last year's Christmas Tree Festival, the Methodist Church will be hosting another one from Friday, 26th November to Sunday 28th November with all proceeds going to "Time for the Future", their church spire fund. See our events calendar for details of all the entertainment scheduled throughout the 3 day festival.
