A CHURCH which is 'no longer financially or practically sustainable' to keep open has been placed on the market.
Waverton's Christ Church, near Wigton, has been listed on the market with a guide price of £125,000.
The building of worship was constructed in 1865 and is currently being listed by Edwin Thompson.
In July 2022, the church building was offered for sale on the open market and an offer has since been made and accepted.
An area of the churchyard which includes the Garden of Remembrance – in which ashes are interred – will be retained by the parish and a new public access will be created, a war memorial will also be re-located to this area of land.
A spokesperson for the Diocese of Carlisle said: “The Parochial Church Council for Christ Church Waverton contacted us in September 2019, asking for help in exploring the closure of the church. PCC members deemed it no longer financially or practically sustainable to keep the building open.
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“A local consultation initially took place which recommended the building close for worship and this was subsequently approved by the Bishop of Carlisle. Any proposed church closure must then go before the Church Commissioners as was the case with Christ Church Waverton, allowing further opportunity for any interested parties to comment before a final decision. In this case, closure was approved," they said.
The spokesperson said the closure of any church provides an opportunity for 'reflection and thanksgiving'.
"The closure of any church provides opportunity for reflection and thanksgiving for all that the building and its worshipping community have done to grow God’s Kingdom in their area.
"As a Diocese we give thanks for the faithful mission and ministry which has been so richly displayed over the years by the congregation of Christ Church Waverton. We also give thanks that peoples’ faith can continue to be fed and nurtured through the richness of our other worshipping communities in Wigton and the Solway Plain," they said.
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