After a decade, Rotherham Minster sheds its shroud of steel

It’s a “marvellous” achievement, says Canon David Bliss, who has never seen the church without its coat of metal in the three-and-a-half years he has been at Rotherham Minster.

“Over the last 10 years, an awful lot of work has been done”, the 59-year-old said.

“We’ve replaced the clock faces, and done some stonework to the top of the spire.

“Around the nave roof, the battlements have been repaired and both the north corner and the north west windows have had some repair work.

“There’s a new roof on the chancel and we’ve had to have lead replaced too.”

Although the rebuilding of the 15th century spire, which stands 188 feet above Rotherham town centre, has become one of the most iconic aspects of the church’s restoration, it wasn’t originally intended to be rebuilt at all.

Canon Bliss said: “The interesting thing is that the problems with the spire weren’t discovered immediately.

“It was only when other work was being carried out that they put a steeplejack’s ladder up to the top of the spire and discovered holes that water was going through, and that the spire was starting to lean.

“Scaffolding was put up to give it stability and, when work started in June, the masons discovered a steeplejack’s pick had been left in there and had corroded.”

The top part of the spire then had to be completely rebuilt over a six-month period.

While All Saints’ Church – which gained Minster status seven years ago – has been restored, buildings around it have been revamped and, in some cases, demolished as part of the £2bn “Rotherham Renaissance” regeneration project.

That scheme, devised in 2001 by Rotherham Council and Yorkshire Forward, aimed to transform the town centre over 25 years.

However, while some projects such as the renovation of the Grade II listed Imperial Buildings went ahead, others are behind schedule or were axed altogether owing to the recession and the demise of Yorkshire Forward

The All Saints’ Building, adjacent to All Saints’ Church, was demolished and planning permission was granted for a development of shops and offices.

However, Iliad, the firm behind the scheme, pulled the plug in 2009, and the site has since been landscaped to become the Minster Gardens.

“A lot of work has been done in conjunction with Rotherham Council, such as the floodlights which have been installed outside”, said Mr Bliss.

“They’ve been switched on two years now, so the whole of the outside is lit up. It’s magnificent.

“We were also able to look at the West Door, which was the door out of which the bride and groom would exit after their wedding.

“It had been closed up for at least 20 years as the steps were steep and there was no handrail.

“We were able to put handrails up and gates on the door and, since then, the bride and groom have been able to exit through the West Door once again.

“People have been moved to see the doors open again – it’s wonderful.”

However, while Rotherham Minster may have cast off any outward signs of repair work taking place, there’s still more to be done within the church itself.

The kitchen is set to be replaced so the Minster can offer meals as well as hot drinks; work is to be done on some partially-eroded Rotherham Red sandstone, and a bigger project to replace the church’s chandeliers will begin early next year.

“Two chandeliers aren’t working and we’ve not been able to find the fault, which could be right up in the roof”, Canon Bliss said.

“Those lights have been there for 50 years, though, so it’s been decided that they will be replaced.

“We’re putting some temporary lights in for Christmas and then, in the new year, we’re embarking on a scheme to replace the whole of the lights.

“There are 77 gilded roof bosses and every one of them is different.

“We want to have lights shining up there so that, for carol services, we will be able to light up the magnificent roof and keep the rest of the church in darkness.”

Mr Bliss added: “This is a very historic building and it’s our responsibility to maintain it and preserve it, not only for our present-day needs but for the church in generations to come.

“It’s a privilege and a great responsibility to sit in this magnificent building and think about the people who’ve worshipped here, the people who’ve gone before and what they’ve done to preserve it so that we can be here today.”