On Sheppey’s highest hill, Minster Abbey has sat watching over the Island for centuries.

Believed to be the third oldest church still in use in the UK, it is also one of the most complicated.

The central section was built by the Anglo Saxons in 664AD while its walls include some Roman masonry.

It has been in continuous use since it was first built and it still attracts people from across the globe.

A world map in the entrance is dotted with pins put in by visitors to show where they have come from.

The abbey’s history is fascinating and too long to go into here but as a working church it is fair to say it has some downsides.

The heating system consists of a boiler from the 1970s attached to iron pipes and radiators installed in the Victorian era, while holes have started to form in wooden flooring which covers parts of the floor.

The electrics have also seen better days and only two Sundays ago a blackout cut a pre-wedding social gathering short.

A complete refit, along with other major improvements being planned, will cost around £2 million.

As church warden Andrew Parr puts it: “We are going to need serious money. We are having a Victorian afternoon and other events.

“They are for is keeping the abbey in the public eye and hopefully people can get behind us.”

All contributions the public will be welcomed, of course but the abbey’s main hope is the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The District Church Council, the governing body for the abbey, is in the process of finalising a detailed application form which it hopes to submit by the end of February.

It is a long process made more complex by the fact the building and grounds are designated Grade I-listed status which is reserved for structures of global architectural importance.

A stone cannot be lifted without the say so of English Heritage – quite literally.

When some fencing work had to be carried out there had to be an archeologist present.

It was a good thing too because they found a medieval ring.

In fact, artefacts are being found all the time. Other appeals for funding to the developers of homes in the area have been to no avail.

The Rev Tim Hall, vicar of the Benefice of West Sheppey, said Jones Homes, which uses the abbey in its advertising, and Persimmon both dismissed the idea while Bovis did not reply.

He predicts that if all goes to plan, it will be around a year before churchgoers would see major alterations.

He said they also plan to apply to other grant bodies, including the Friends of Kent Churches, throughout the process to bring in some of the changes along the way.

It is hoped the church can continue to be used for community use. Recently its acoustics were praised by a folk group who staged a concert there.

Mr Hall said: “It will all be easier to use and to see which will be great. It’s always available.

“It’s open every day, dawn to dusk, and people tend to come in her to use it as a quiet space to reflect.”

Architect John Bailey, from London firm Thomas Ford and Partners, which specialises in renovating historic buildings, has drawn up the designs.

Plans include reopening the entrance underneath the church’s tower and converting the vestry inside into another way into the building along with two sets of decorative glass doors.

There would also be a glass corridor built to link the existing building and the neighbouring church hall that would require a making a new opening through an existing church wall.

At present there are no toilets in the abbey meaning churchgoers have to go outside before going into the hall to use its facilities, something that can be inconvenient for elderly members of the congregation.

The toilets and kitchens in the hall are around 20 years old and would also be updated as part of the renovation.

Another project would see the replacement of the roof in the original Anglo Saxon section.