Soon after the grand sesquicentennial celebrations of the All Saints Church, a classic example of Gothic architecture in Trimulgherry entrenchment of Secunderabad cantonment, the devout were caught in a dilemma. The church building
Soon after the grand sesquicentennial celebrations of the All Saints Church, a classic example of Gothic architecture in Trimulgherry entrenchment of Secunderabad cantonment, the devout were caught in a dilemma. The church building, having passed through 150 Christmas and New Year seasons, was causing concern. Cracks developed in the rain-soaked tiled main and side roofs, disturbing the teak rafters that were supporting it. Turrets, too, developed cracks and lime plaster got chipped off from the walls while the embellishments were in bad shape. The pinkish Anglican hue, hallmark of the church, was on the verge of fading away. The precarious condition of the structure made the devout huddle into series of meetings. There were two options before them –, the easier one being pulling it down and building a new one or opt for restoration, a long-drawn painstaking job. “The pros and cons were debated for days. The majority favoured restoration despite difficulties as it would mean bringing back the old glory, maintaining identity and ensure historic continuity of the church”, said Frederic Michael, honorary secretary of the Pastorate Committee.
If the choice was for a new building, it would have been a permanent loss of a landmark full of stately columns and majestic arches and more importantly the spiritual solace that was assured with church’s location in the serene, green surroundings of the Cantonment. It is not faraway from a military quarter ‘The Chateau’ where Sir Winston Churchill believed to have stayed as a British Army recruit. But nobody could confirm if he had ever visited this church. Built in 1860 exclusively for the British Army personnel and consecrated by Bishop Gill, the church has a long history. A typical Garrison Church, it was presided by Army Chaplains before the baton was passed on to the Church of South India in 1947 and the services now are in English and Tamil. It had won the INTACH’s heritage award in 2002. A technical committee was constituted with Uttam Nathaniel Isaac, a civil engineer, as senior consultant. After a search, the committee zeroed in on APTSORBH (Agency for Providing Traditional Solutions and Restoration of Built Heritage), a Tamil Nadu-based firm that earned a name in restoring old buildings including the St. Mary’s Church.
It was a gigantic task, recalls Mr. Isaac. The list of works included re-laying of the side- 