Tower of 200-year-old church to be unveiled

A 200-year-old church tower which has been shrouded in scaffolding for 11 years will soon be revealed.

St Peter's Church in York Place, Brighton, has been undergoing internal restoration since 2009 and scaffolding was erected in 2014 to restore the tower's stonework.

The work is nearing completion and it is hoped the framework can be dismantled by the end of the summer.

The £3m project has restored the four clock faces on the tower and much of the stonework, as well as addressing damp and mould issues.

"It's really exciting, a church of this magnitude, beauty and age needs real care and attention," said Sandy Matthews, project director for the church.

He told BBC Radio Sussex: "As the contractors started to work down the building they found more issues, as there often is with a building of this age.

"The latest phase has taken longer than we hoped, as has the whole project but we've never stopped trying to restore the building. We're in a position now where we can start to reveal some of it.

"It's bringing life back to the church and the community."

The Diocese of Chichester decided to close the church in 2007 as it was falling into disrepair and had a dwindling congregation.

But it was saved in 2009 and now runs a variety of community events and church services. It welcomes up to 1,000 people through its doors every week.

Jack Herniman, contracts manager for construction company DBR, said: "We've worked from the top at the pinnacles, these have either been dismantled or rebuilt.

"A few elements had to be dismantled for safety if they were at the point where they were beyond repair or saved for a later date.

"We've also made repairs to the stonework, done a lot of repointing work and a lot of intricate carving work. We've given it that new lease of life."

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