The congregation – which was formed in 1847 to minister to the spiritual needs of Irish weavers and their families who came over in the wake of the Irish potato famine – has had many ups and downs in its 160-year history.
But sadly, despite modest growth in numbers over the past year, there has not been sufficient support for the congregation for them to justify the large amount of money which would need to be spent repairing the building.
Surveyor’s reports over the past eight years indicated that there were several structural problems which would require extensive remedial work. The congregation at the time was at a low ebb and did not feel able to spend large amounts of money on the building.
However, since then, the deterioration has worsened to the extent that the chancel is no longer used for health and safety reasons.