Church with place in Monty Python history, Ranmoor Church, Sheffield, placed on Heritage at Risk register. Michael Palin expresses support
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00:00It holds a place in Monty Python history, but Ranmore Church has just become the latest building to be placed on Historic England's Heritage at Risk list.
00:11The Victorian church, dating back to 1877, is the place where Python Michael Palin made his first public performance, giving a reading as a child.
00:21But now, the church is trying to raise a million pounds to fix a spire, the condition of which Historic England says is so poor that the walls could buckle inwards unless urgent action is taken.
00:33Vicar Matthew Rhodes says that the problems were due to chemical reactions in the stone.
00:41So St John's opened in 1879 and the spire was built of two types of stone which makes it very attractive, but there's a chemical reaction going on between the two types of stone and it's causing it to shatter on the inside.
00:54So the walls are getting thinner and that's going to make it dangerous if we don't do anything, that's why it's on the risk register.
01:00How much is it going to cost to get everything fixed?
01:03We think about a million pounds.
01:05And has fundraising started on that?
01:09Not yet, no, we're probably going to launch an appeal in the new year.
01:13We've got a bit of money which we're keeping back to use towards this but we're going to have to raise quite a lot of money as well.
01:20What difference will being on the Heritage at Risk register make?
01:24Well we hope that when we apply for grants that that will be treated more favourably because we're on the at risk register.
01:31What sort of support have you had on this?
01:35People are really supportive, especially in the local community.
01:39This is an iconic church, the spire is very prominent on the Sheffield skyline so I think people will get behind it.
01:48Michael Palin has issued a statement in support of the church, welcoming its addition to the list which may help it access funding.
01:55He said, a spectacularly fine church where I spent many a Sunday.
02:00My father was a bell ringer there and I remember how my knees shook as I read the lesson at a Christmas carol concert when I was 9 or 10.
02:07Very glad to hear that it is worthy of the Heritage at Risk listing which shows that it is deemed a building of rare quality.