Talks to begin into rebuild of Mudeford All Saints Church

Members of the church will be putting together plans for the rebuild of Mudeford All Saints, in what is set to be a ‘critical’ stage for the congregation.

Canon Gary Philbrick, assistant archdeacon of Winchester, said: “This church is 150 years old, and we’re making decisions for the next 150 years of its life.”

As reported, the church became engulfed in flames on the evening of Thursday, July 14, following an electrical issue in the building.

More than 50 firefighters were called to tackle the blaze, which was described as ‘very severe’ and caused huge damage to the roof and interior.

The fire at the Mudeford All Saints Church

Read more: Mudeford All Saints Church fire started with electrical issue

The church has been out of use for the last month, while fire investigations got underway and teams worked to make the building safe, but now talks are set to begin into its rebuild.

The assistant archdeacon added: “It’s not something that anybody would’ve wanted, but actually, it’s a huge opportunity to build a brand-new church effectively.

“There’s an awful lot of things to get on with.

“There will have to be an evaluation which will take a little while, but the really critical thing for the congregation is to think what they want for this church for the next stage of this life.

Damage to the church

“It was built by the Victorians, and they built it for what they wanted, so they need to think about what the vision is for the church now. That makes a difference to how it is furnished.

Read more: Fire tears through Mudeford All Saints Church

“You work out the vision for the church, and then with an architect and project team, you get everything drawn up”

With the church out of use, the congregation has been meeting on Sundays at Stanpit village hall, and clubs and organisations which ran from the building have found homes elsewhere.

The assistant archdeacon said: “The church has sort of dispersed, but it is still carrying on. There’s the mantra- the church building has burnt down, but the church continues.”