Photos: Delhi’s 180 years old St James Church is crumbling into obscurity

The St James church which saw its first bishop service in 1836 and is one of the oldest in the city has been battling degeneration with its structures on the verge of crumbling.

Updated on: Jul 16, 2017 5:45 PM IST

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The St James church which saw its first bishop service in 1836 and is one of the oldest in the city has been battling degeneration. The restoration of the church is faced with another major challenge,two underground tracks of Delhi Metro’s Heritage line (connecting Mandi House and Kashmere Gate station), passes through the church’s compound and are just five metres away from the building. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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Colonel James Skinner started building St James’ Church just opposite his mansion near Kashmere Gate in 1821. The initial budget of construction was estimated at Rs 95,000 which escalated to around Rs 2 lakh later. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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Skinner, who was fighting for Karoli’s (now in Haryana) ruler against the king of Uniara was lying injured with several others in the battlefield near Tonk in Rajasthan when he vowed to build the church if he survived. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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Owing to its dilapidated state, in April last year the church conservation committee with the help of Indian National Trust for Art and Cultural Heritage (INTACH), launched restoration work on the grand old structure. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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A grade I heritage structure notified by the Delhi government, the total cost of conservation was estimated to be around Rs 3.5 crore. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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The chairman of the Church Committee says, ‘The church is a live monument and attracts tourists and students from across the globe. It is a heritage structure closely wedded with the history of the city for the past two centuries.’ (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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The first phase of repair of the 181-year-old structure was recently completed, but the Church Conservation Committee has been running short of funds, making it impossible for it to continue the remaining work. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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According to the project director the amount of damage to the foundation of the church due to vibrations caused by Metro rail movement is not known but the work to stabilise the underpinning has been completed. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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The Church has witnessed several momentous events including baptization of two notable citizens of Delhi — Master Ram Chander and Chiman Lal in 1852. Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip, duke of Edinburgh also worshipped here in 1961. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)

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A severely fund-starved church committee has now planned a fund raising event on July 29 to invite individuals, social and government organisations along with corporates to make contributions through their CSR initiatives. (Ajay Aggarwal/HT PHOTO)