An Uphill landmark was removed last week from the roof of St. Saviour’s Anglican Pro-Cathedral, but it will not be gone forever.
While not the “dreaming spire” of Matthew Arnold’s poem, the spire of St. Saviour’s was still a defining part of the church and Nelson’s lower Uphill.
St. Saviour’s was originally built in 1899 and rebuilt in 1929 after a disastrous fire and it was then that the spire was added. However, the spire had fallen on hard times, rotten through water damage and pigeon infestation, cross long gone
Earlier this month, scaffolding was erected in order to conduct a structural assessment of the spire. The structural engineer’s conclusion was that immediate steps must be taken to remove the spire as it was a hazard to public safety.
The spire was in such poor condition that repairing it in place was not an option. The replacement cost is beyond what is available in the tight budget for the current addition, nor within the current financial resources of the parishioners.
Recognizing this, the City of Nelson cooperated by issuing a demolition permit subject to the replication and replacement of the spire including a timeline and fundraising plans. In this regard, measurements and pictures were taken to allow for the reproduction of the existing spire and a fundraising committee formed.
The committee expects to apply for heritage grants and other fundraising avenues to raise these funds so once again the spire can rise over the church.