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More on KentOnline
A church which collapsed in strong winds leading to £300,000 of repairs is up for sale.
The Elim Pentecostal Church, Rochester, is on the market for offers in excess of £390,000.
A busy road was closed for seven months after stonework fell from the Grade-II listed 161-year-old building in Delce Road at the junction of Star Hill.
Restoration experts were called to remove rubble and replace ragstone.
The tiny place of worship is run by layperson Gill Erwin and her son Jamie.
Mrs Erwin, whose late husband Graeme was a pastor, said Elim’s head office which has placed it on the market, intended to move them to a hall at the back.
She said: “The church is a hidden jewel in Medway. It means so much to me. I got married there. I feel sad about moving out.”
The traditional church, facing the street, sits about 200 people, comprising a large open plan ground floor with gallery above.
“The church is a hidden jewel in Medway..." Gill Erwin
It is being marketed by London-based estate agents Alex Martin Commercial which says the property could suit other uses, such as residential, subject to planning consent.
Details state it is need of modernisation and a buyer would need to install toilet facilities.
It was built in 1856 as a congregational church, but in 1882 it became the Star Hill United Methodist Chapel until 1927 when it was closed for a year.
In that year, George Jefferys, a Welsh minister who founded the Elim Pentecostal Church movement, went to Rochester. He decided to hold services at the Corn Exchange in the town and then re-opened the church in Delce Road as the first Elim Pentecostal in the area.
