The 'Taj Mahal of Saltaire' needs urgent repairs after its ceiling collapsed due to Storm Dennis

Photos taken by the vicar's husband Mike Howson show smashed pews and the rubble-strewn nave at Saltaire United Reformed Church.

The Grade I-listed, Italianate church in Roberts Park was built in 1859 by Bradford wool baron Sir Titus Salt as a place of worship for workers at nearby Salts Mill.

He funded the church himself and intended it to be the focal point of the model village of Saltaire, which is now a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Salt and other members of his family are buried in the mausoleum adjoining the church, and the building attracts large numbers of visitors and tour parties. It has even been nicknamed 'the Taj Mahal of Saltaire' for its beauty.

The masonry fell from the ceiling on Sunday in the aftermath of Storm Dennis, and structural experts are currently assessing the extent of the damage.

As the original Victorian roof was repaired during a major restoration project in the late 1990s, the damage was not caused by long-term degradation and is believed to be a consequence of the high winds brought by Storm Ciara and Storm Dennis during February.

Church elder Zac Williamson, who also runs a Scout group in the building, said: "We think the damage to the roof from Storm Ciara allowed water in, and with the amount of rain brought by Storm Dennis, the plaster ceiling was weakened. A large portion of one of the decorative panels has fallen at the east end, near the entrance."

The incident happened overnight just hours before a Sunday morning service, and Zac believes that if members of the congregation had been sitting beneath the fallen panel they would have been killed.

"Several pews have been destroyed. Nobody was inside at the time and for that we are blessed. The damage was discovered on Sunday morning. People do sit in those seats and they would have died if it had happened during worship. We are very fortunate.

"The roof was fully restored in the 1990s, so this is not the result of gradual decline - it's been really badly hit by the wind.

"The church is out of bounds, but we will hold services and other activities in some of the other downstairs rooms, which are safe to use. We are now waiting for the insurance report to know whether they will pay out - it is a waiting game."

Saltaire and neighbouring Shipley were not badly hit by the storms compared to Boxing Day 2015, when streets near the River Aire suffered severe flooding and Roberts Park and the sports grounds laid out by Salt were submerged.

"Some people have lost everything to these floods, and we haven't lost that. It's a beautiful building and it's very upsetting, but nobody was hurt and we are in a better position than some."

As Saltaire URC is not part of the Church of England, they are an independent financial entity and cannot access Anglican funding streams.

"The upkeep of a Grade I-listed building is very expensive. We get a lot of visitors who put donations into our box, but the costs just multiply. There is no great pot for us to dip into - but we will fundraise if the insurers will not cover the repairs.

"We will need to find specialist craftsmen, as the ceiling is made from horsehair-lined plaster which is very unusual. This is gutting for us - but we will get it fixed."