Harpur Hill church closes its doors after more 100 years of services - as work on drawing up plans for new church begin

St James Church has become unsafe in recent years so the town rector reverend Liz England and her congregation said goodbye to the building which has been part of Harpur Hill for more than 100 years.

Rev Liz said: “We will be saying our final goodbyes to St James Church in Harpur Hill on Sunday February, 12 which will be the last service in the church before the new build, hopefully in a few years time.

"The church has become dangerously damp so we cannot have services there at the moment and we are having to move items out of the church.”

The church will be welcoming the community to join the congregation to bless the building for one last time and people will be invited to write C M and B on the walls which means Christ Bless this Place.READ MORE: 'So unique and special to Buxton' - town's Spring Fair will be bigger and better

St James’ Church, on Harpur Hill Road, was built in 1911 on a site already used for worship since 1876.

The church was built with stone donated by the Buxton Lime Company and it was expected to last 50 or 60 years but is now 112 years old and the damp has caused a such a problem services have now been stopped for safety reasons.

Rev Liz said: “Our church has now become so damp inside we are having to move items out of the church to protect them. This will make it difficult to have events or services in the future.”

The building was closed for long periods due to the pandemic, and in that time its condition has got worse.

Liz added: “As we step outside, we start a new adventure and we place the church into God’s hands.”

The church is now waiting to work with the community on plans for a new church hall before a grant is applied for and work on drawing up a new church can begin.

Anyone who wants to get involved with the planned refurbishment and restoration should email [email protected]

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