A pink splendour called All Saints’ Church

Secunderabad: The All Saints’ Church in the heart of Secunderabad at Trimulgherry, which was built in 1860 for British Army personnel, has now been renovated and restored to its original form. What is interesting is that 220 families pooled in money to restore the 157-year-old church.

By 2011, the church members noticed cracks and the rafters that were supporting the roof became weak. The church which was originally built for the British Army personnel stationed in Secunderabad withstood the onslaught of time all along but was beginning to fall apart. When the members of the church realised that funds were not forthcoming,

they decided to pledge their one-month salary and in s few cases each member of a family contributed his/her salary. Fredrick R Michael, a member of the church says, “The total expenditure was Rs 1.5 crore and the restoration was completed in 2013 but being an old structure, maintenance is a continuous process.”

The innumerable turrets lend the church a unique charm and unlike most churches in the twin-cities, the All Saints’ Church has lovely pink with white border resplendent of churches in England. Peter, a member of the church says, “Once in a while, we get people from England visiting the church. They come in search of their ancestors to the graveyards and visit the church and feel happy that it resembles the ones in England. In 1983, Queen Elizabeth II visited the church.”

The church has been restored by using fresh lime plaster and very minimal cement was used. Using traditional material such as alovera, egg, jaggery, indigafera, tinctorial, it was grounded and the mixture was applied over the lime-plastered surface. The whole side roof was re-laid and the entire area on the main roof was replaced. All the rafters that were eaten by termites were replaced and the over 100-year old windows and main door were polished.

“The work was done by the Kanyakumari-based Agency for Providing Traditional Solutions on Restoration of Built Heritage (APTSORBH) under the guidance of conservation architect P S Rajan. The structure will stand for another few decades as traditional methods were used and the mixing of herbs, plants, cactus, dry leaves, eggs and lime wash help in non-seepage of water,” says Fredrick.

Another value addition is the brass railing near the altar under the present Presbyter-in-charge Rev Justice Moni. The church in pre-independent India was under the care of Army Chaplains but after India gained Independence, it was passed on to the Church of South India.

The church is tucked away from the hustle and bustle of the city and the pinkish glow surrounded by greenery all over has a calming effect on people. One need not even go inside the church, just a glimpse while passing through Trimulgherry is enough to transport you to an era gone by. It is said that the church was the first permanent structure in Trimulgherry. Many have been added over the years but none still matches the pink splendour All Saints Church.

By T P Venu