See inside St Michael's Church in Ipswich as work begins

On Saturday, the Ark of the Lord Church community began works to clear out the debris and overgrown foliage inside St Michael’s Church, in Upper Orwell Street.

The Grade II-listed Victorian church was founded in the 1880s but was burnt down in March 2011 in a suspected arson attack.

The church was partly destroyed by the fire in 2011. (Image: Will King/Newsquest)

The roof collapsed but the exterior brick walls remain in place. (Image: Will King/Newsquest)

The shell of the building, alongside the community hall where the church currently holds its community service, was then bought by the church in 2022 via a fundraiser, which raised more than £174,000.

Amidst an expected £1.2 million overall project cost, sisters Lucy Richards and pastor Penny Gordon say the community decided to take on the task of clearing out the dilapidated space themselves after being quoted £20,000 for clearance by a professional company. 

Sisters Lucy Richards and pastor Penny Gordon. (Image: Newsquest)

Mrs Richards, who also works as a surveyor for Cambridge City Council, said: "There's such a lot of work behind the scenes, but we are now moving forward with the project.

"We need to just clear the space so we have a blank canvas to go forward. 

"But everybody has been so positive about this project, and it's amazing how we are working to bring this place back from the ashes.

Some entrances in the church are blocked by foliage and debris. (Image: Newsquest) "It could have been knocked down, but it's going to be lovely and we are so excited."

She noted that the area was vulnerable to a number of issues, including flytipping, homelessness and said trespassing has been an issue at the church with people damaging parts of the church.

Mrs Richards added that the team would like stained glass windows put in place, similar to those seen in the Sagrada Familia church in Barcelona, with the light of the sun creating a changing ambience throughout the day.

Once the restoration has been completed, the team plans to make the church into an education and learning centre, including a free-of-charge art and music school, a cafe and a prayer and meditation area. 

The team had been hard at work clearing the debris. (Image: Will King/Newsquest) Penny Gordon, the pastor of the Ark in Ipswich, added: "When I first walked into the church, I fell in love with it straight away. 

"I thought it's broken and it's beautiful, just like many of our lives.

"With families in Ipswich, we want to support them and just like this, we want to put things back together.

"We want to fix broken things."