St Michael's Ipswich: UK August 2013
Designed in the late 1800s by the local architect E F Bishopp and built by Robert Girling.
The church was dedicated to St Michael, an archangel who appears in all Abrahamic faiths.
In 2010 it was purchased by a Muslim charity for £350,000 with plans to turn it into a community centre.
Sadly a year later a devastating fire broke out. Fifty firefighters tackled the blaze and several adjacent roads were closed off. As you can see, severe damage was caused and the roof is no more.
Restoration has started on the adjacent hall and was scheduled to be completed by the end of 2014. The second phase s restoration of the church building which you see here. This will clearly be a long process with need for some significant funds. We can only hope that the funds are there and nothing hampers the project.
