Church bells to ring for Wolves
A landmark church with links to Wolves today moves a step closer to being saved under plans which could also see its bells ring again for the first time in five years.
St Luke's Church in Blakenhall will be transformed into an antiques emporium as part of a proposal lodged this week with Wolverhampton council.
The boss of developer Czero Developments, Simon Linfold, has also revealed his intention for the tower bells ring again this year - in time for a 'special peal' if Wolves won promotion.
The church was opened in 1861 and is next to St Luke's School which was the birth place of St Luke's FC - which went on to become Wolverhampton Wanderers.
But the Grade II listed building closed to the public eight years ago due to £1m costs associated with fixing its decaying structure, including its spire.
A campaign was launched to save it from being demolished - and in May plans were unveiled to turn the site into an antiques emporium.
This week, developer Czero Developments lodged its planning application.
The sale of the building from the Diocese of Lichfield will cost £1.
In a supporting document with the planning application, the firm said: "Since the closure of the church in 2015, the residents of Blakenhall have feared the vacant building will deteriorate to such as extent that demolition will become the only option.
"The intention of this proposal is to provide the building with a sustainable use and ensure St Luke's Church remains a local landmark."
Work has already been carried out by the developer on clearing blocked gutters and the spire slates have been fixed.
Investigations have started into turning the lighting and heating system back on.
Mr Linfold said: "We are pretty confident we can have the bells ringing again.
"We are planning to install some tower movement monitoring equipment and then ring a test peal which will hopefully confirm that there is not actually any risk of slates falling off as a result of the bells ringing.
"This is likely to be in the autumn."
He added: "Given the historic attachment of this church to Wolverhampton Wanderers, I will make sure the bells ring a special peal when Wolves get promoted to the Premier League at the end of the season."
The building is described in its Grade II listed status as being 'roguish gothic revival' in style.
Converting the building into an emporium will not require a large amount of work, say the developer.
There will also be a cafe, office and toilet at the site. Parking for 25 vehicles would be provided.
The congregation moved into the adjacent St Luke's School.
Peter Bate, spokesman for the Diocese of Lichfield, said: “The sale is progressing well. The diocese has exchanged contracts with Simon Linford of Czero Developments and, subject to planning permission being granted, the sale should complete this autumn.”
