A CHURCH which has stood in town for more than 150 years is on the market for potential redevelopment with a guide price of £1.1m.
The sale of St Simon’s Church is being managed by Maillard & Co through an informal tender process, with the building advertised as offering “potential for development or to create a residential/commercial mixed-use, subject to planning approval”.
Interested parties are being invited to submit their offers for the property, on Great Union Road, before Friday 24 November.
The building, previously overseen by external heritage advisers All Saints Church, saw a decline in attendance over recent years, leading to the discontinuation of regular services.
As a result, St Simon’s has only been sporadically used to host events, such as the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday and some Christmas services, with the building left empty for extended periods.
Having been built in 1865 and opened the following year, the church once had a dedicated congregation, especially among sailors, as nearby streets contained many fishermen’s cottages.
The building boasts unique features, including a historic church organ set into the wall and inscriptions commemorating past vicars. It is made of granite and Caen stone, and decorated in the Early English style.
It also has one of the few stained-glass pictures of Charles I in the British Isles, as well as stained-glass depictions of the stations of the cross, and the life of Christ, embellished with the names of local contributors.
The church’s interior includes the high altar, choir stalls, and a war memorial crucifix from 1919.
However, signs of disuse are also apparent, with debris from the roof, dampness all around the building and up the pillars, and chipping paint and plaster on display. The exterior has rusted gates and fixtures coming loose from the wall.
Efforts were made to repurpose the church and its adjacent hall as a support facility for recently released prisoners, providing them with housing and a community centre for developing skills acquired at HMP La Moye.
However, the plan was ultimately abandoned because of the building’s listed status and varying opinions from heritage advisers.
In response to Maillard & Co’s Facebook post advertising the sale of the property, Islanders suggested it could make “a beautiful home”, “a good auction room” or an “ideal town youth club”.
