Church of the Ascension rises from the ashes

Church of the Ascension rises from the ashes

A church in Greater Manchester has been spectacularly rebuilt following a devastating fire six years ago.

The blaze, which destroyed the roof and much of the interior of The Church of the Ascension in Lower Broughton, took dozens of firefighters with six fire engines to extinguish. Gas pipes melted with the subsequent ignition causing additional damage. The roof of the building collapsed and the interior was destroyed.

The £5m restoration of the Grade II-listed church in Salford has involved many partners including specialist insurer and CRE Midlands exhibitor Ecclesiastical – along with local architects, contractors, engineers and project managers overseen by the Diocesan Advisory Committee.

Damage to the 149-year-old church, designed by eminent Manchester architect James Medland Taylor, occurred after the community had spent three years fundraising and securing grants totalling £250,000 to go towards a renovation.

Jeremy Trott, claims director at Ecclesiastical Insurance, said: ‘It’s fantastic to see the church restored to its former glory and to bring the community back through its doors. As a specialist insurer set up more than 135 years ago, we have a huge amount of expertise in working with churches. We understand the complex nature of a restoration of this scale. I’d like to thank the teams who worked on the project and the church community for their support.’

Fr Falak Sher, priest in charge, took over two years ago and was delighted when the church was officially reopened in November last year.

‘Broughton is a poor area and the church is surrounded by blocks of flats which have recently been built so the church is a witness to the new community of all nationalities,’ he said. ‘In the past few months I have conducted six weddings, 15 baptisms and three funerals, so it is already being well used. The reconstruction means that, while the exterior looks similar to the past, the interior is completely suitable for community work – a mixture of old and new which presents a lovely welcome atmosphere.’

To mark the six-year anniversary of the devastating fire at the Grade-II listed church, the team at Ecclesiastical Insurance have created a case study which showcases just how much adversity the church overcame to restore the beautiful building.

• Ecclesiastical are on stand P29 at CRE Midlands 23

Organisations looking to book a stand at CRE Midlands 23 should contact Carol Malpass 0161 250 2467 (E: carol@creonline.co.uk) or James Batterbee 0161 250 2306 (E: james@creonline.co.uk).

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Visitor registration for CRE Midlands 23 will begin in the Spring