Ranmoor Church: Battle to raise £1m as beautiful Sheffield church with place in Monty Python history 'at risk'
It holds a special place in Monty Python history.
But St John’s Church, Ranmoor, in Sheffield, has just become the latest building to be placed on Historic England's 'heritage at risk' list, with £1 million needed for vital repairs
The Victorian church is the place where Python star Michael Palin made his first public performance, giving a reading as a child, and the comedian and travel writer has never forgotten that.
But now the church is trying to raise a million pounds to fix a spire, the condition of which Historic England says is so poor that the walls could buckle inwards unless urgent action is taken.
Vicar Matthew Rhodes said the problems were due to chemical reactions in the stone.
He said: “St John’s opened in 1879, and the spire was built of two types of stone, which makes it very attractive, but there’s a chemical reaction going on between the two types of stone, and it’s causing it to shatter on the inside.
“So, the walls are getting thinner, and that’s going to make it dangerous if we don’t do anything., and that’s why it’s on the ‘at risk’ register’.”
He said fundraising had not yet started.
“We’re probably going to launch an appeal in the new year, we’ve got a bit of money that we’re keeping back towards this, but we’re going to have to raise quite a lot of money as well.
“We hope that when we apply for grants they will be treated more favourably because we are on the at risk register.
“People are really supportive, especially in the local community. This is an iconic church. The spire is very prominent on the Sheffield skyline so I think people will get behind it.”
There is already scaffolding in place to stop any falling masonry from the roof.
There are also plans to raise money in the future for other repairs and improvements to the building, to make it more useful to the community in the future.
Michael Palin has issued a statement in support of the church, which he still remembers well, welcoming its addition to the list, which may help it access funding.
He told The Star: “A spectacularly fine church, where I spent many a Sunday. My father was a bellringer there, and I remember how my knees shook as I read the lesson at a Christmas Carol Concert when I was nine or 10.
“Very glad to hear that it is worthy of the Heritage at Risk listing which shows that it is deemed a building of rare quality.“