Northampton All Saints' Church dome restoration complete

Father Oliver Coss said parishioners "gasp" when they look up and see the restored dome

A church dome has been renovated to its former glory following an 18-month conservation project.

The dome, at the centre of Northampton's All Saints' Church, dates back to 1680 when the building was restored after being destroyed by fire.

Construction started on the £100,000 restoration project in October and took five months to complete.

Rector of the church, Father Oliver Coss, said parishioners viewing the new-look dome "look up and gasp".

Potential problems with the dome were identified as part of a regular condition report carried out at the Grade I listed building.

It was largely built after the Great Fire of Northampton in 1675.

The restoration cost £110,000 but Father Oliver said it would bring positivity to people in Northampton

Father Oliver said due to the inaccessible nature of the dome it had been unclear how much work needed to be carried out.

"It had started to look rough around the edges from below, but we didn't know the structural situation," he said.

In order to access the dome, which cannot be viewed from either cherry pickers or drones, an intricate web of scaffolding had to be built.

Father Oliver praised Apex Scaffolding who allowed workers from CL Builders to access the dome and implement the plans of Northampton architects Stimpson Walton Bond

The project's budget increased from an original £74,000 to £110,000 due to additional redecoration costs.

Father Oliver said: "The cracks in the detail that were there are gone. It shines and shimmers."

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He said the improvements showed up how much work needed doing on the rest of the church's interior.

"The way the dome looks now does give a vision of how the church could look," he said.

"It is years since the place had a full repaint... at some point we will need to do the rest, but that will have a seven-figure price tag.

"That is an extraordinary figure, not least at a time like this [when cost of living is increasing]."

Scaffolding was erected outside as well as inside the church

Father Oliver said the project was funded by grants specifically given for the repairs and via a generous donation from a late parishioner.

He admitted the cost of such work troubled him at a time when some people were struggling, but added it would "help drive positivity" in Northampton.

"It does have a ripple effect," he added. "In a town where people complain there is nothing beautiful then raising the ambitions of the place is really important."