Work begins to turn landmark former Wolverhampton church into banqueting suite

The rejuvenation of a Grade II listed church is set to begin after the owners were given permission to start work.

The church is an iconic part of Wolverhampton's landscape

The Darlington Street Methodist Church in Wolverhampton has laid dormant for nearly four years after closing in late 2019, but is set to be converted into a multi-faith banqueting suite, suitable for all types of celebrations and events.

It was purchased by Rajinder and Kamaljeet Dhinsa of of Wolverhampton-based Hallmark Investment Properties in October 2021 and after going through 18 months of consultation and planning meetings with Wolverhampton Council, Heritage England and the Victorian Society, the property developers have been granted change of use.

Mr Dhinsa said it was an opportunity to give new life to a beautiful building in a city he loved.

The interior of the church is how it looked from its last service in 2019

The organ will remain part of the venue's interior

The pews will all be removed and donated to other churches as part of the grand redesign

He said: “I’m from Wolverhampton, brought up in Whitmore Reans and I love the city, so wanted to do something and when I saw the church, I saw how beautiful it was and wanted to give it new life.

“I don’t think there’s anyone who hasn’t walked inside the church and not said ‘oh wow’, as it’s an amazing building inside and out.

“It’s been challenging to get to this stage as we’ve had to explain what we are doing and there were other people looking to redevelop it, either through becoming a supermarket or building a hotel on it, but we’ve managed to get our plans across and begin work.”

There are still areas that need work inside the church, with work going on to make sure the venue is ready by October

The church, noted for its large copper dome, opened in 1901, but closed its doors for services in 2019.

It has been dubbed one of the country’s most endangered buildings by the Victorian Society, which last year warned it faces “a bleak future”.

The area underneath the dome has windows which need cleaning, but remains intact

The renovation of the church will cost around £1.5 million and will include taking out all of the pews, which will be donated, adding new flooring, ripping out the majority of the chairs on the upstairs level and adding new coats of paint.

However, Mr Dhinsa said the plan was not to completely change the building, but to keep the heritage of the building intact, while also being able to offer it as a city centre entertainment venue.

The stained glass windows still shine through and will be kept as part of the venue

He also said the plan was to complete the work by October and do a grand opening for the building, which will be called the Grand Palace and Banqueting Suite and will be run by himself, his wife and his two sons Gurcharn and Gurvinder.

He said: “It’s just amazing to be able to begin work on this building and I’m looking forward to seeing it move forward and become a place the whole city can use.”