Barbados cathedral plea: The Church of England Newspaper, Sept 3, 2010 p 7. September 10, 2010
Posted by geoconger in Church of England Newspaper, Church of the Province of the West Indies.trackback
First published in The Church of England Newspaper.
The Diocese of Barbados has launched a fundraising drive to raise £2.5 million to repair the Cathedral of St Michael and All Angels in Bridgetown.
Termites have eaten away at the floors, pews and kneelers, the windows are falling out, and the walls are in need of major repair, the diocesan newspaper reported in 2008, and unless £500,000 could be found immediately, St. Michael’s “could eventually be abandoned as Bridgetown ruin.”
To restore the coral stone cathedral to its former glory £2.5 million will need to be raised, the chairman of the board of Diocesan Trustees, Hartley Richards told the cathedral congregation on Aug 29.
The congregation learned that the first stage in restoring the cathedral would start in September, with the repair of the chancel roof, gutters and downpipes and the masonry eaves. This will be followed by the repair of the cathedral’s windows and doors, followed by a complete revamping of the electrical system.
The second stage would see the repair of the Cathedral cemetery, whose graves include many of the island’s colonial governors and former prime ministers.
The diocese had taken over the task of restoring the Cathedral, Mr. Hartley said, and would seek financial help from across the diocese as well as from the Barbadian Diaspora in the UK and US.
