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Needed: A slap of mortar, a lick of paint

Posted online: Friday, February 29, 2008 at 0254 hrs IST

As you amble along the gates of the St Thomas’ School at Kidderpore and turn left at the first bend, the colossal tower of the St Stephen’s Church beckons you.

A tour inside is an enchanting experience with each corner having its own unique story to tell.

Even though the church committee has done an efficient job in the upkeep of the building, with each passing year, the task is proving to be an uphill one. The structure, which till has now withstood the ravages of time, could do with a thorough renovation but shortage of funds stand in the way.

The history
Official records suggest the parish church was built in 1849. But the St Thomas’ School was set up in 1789. According to the church committee, the “free school” was operating on the present Mirza Ghalib Street (the street was also named Free School Street after the school).
The present location of the St Thomas’ School earlier housed a military orphanage. Then the free school was shifted to its present location and merged with the military orphanage. But there is no record of when that happened.
“We have reason to believe that, as was the custom those days, a chapel must have been associated with the orphanage. Most likely, it was located where the church now stands. So, that means that the history of the church dates back to before the official records,” said Reverend Sourendra Kumar Sarkar.

A walk inside
St Stephen’s is perhaps the only church in the city that has two small rooms, besides the altar, located diametrically opposite to each other.
Each room has a window overlooking the altar. “In those days, the Anglican nuns did not interact with the church gathering. They would be given the holy communion by the priest through these windows,” explained Reverend Sarkar.
A narrow flight of stairs will lead to the roof. The climb is tedious but worth it. One look at the 200-year-old bell (it still rings) and a fantastic view out of the rickety windows that overlook the church makes you heady. The church is one of the few in the city that had an elaborate pipe organ. But the tradition stopped in 1982 with the soaring electricity bills. Since then, the elaborate instrument has been lying defunct.

Plaques
Lovingly put up by dear ones, each of the 20-odd plaques adorning the church walls is a fascinating narrative in itself. Interestingly, perhaps owing to the church’s vicinity to the port, most of these plaques are dedicated to victims of shipwrecks who lost their lives at sea.
For instance, a plaque is dedicated to the memory of one James H Johnson who died in 1851.
He conducted to Calcutta the first steam ship — The Enterprise — in 1825. The words “plaque by Spence and Son, Liverpool” is engraved in the right-hand corner of the frame.
Another is dedicated to the memory of Edgar Belhouse, third officer of the ship ‘Khyber’ which sank in the Calcutta River on May 11, 1890.
Belhouse was all of 21 years.

Present scenario
Recently, one of the overhead wooden beams had come loose and hit the floor. As one of the committee officials said, “We have been fortunate that no one was around then. It could have been fatal,” said Jimmy Able, a church committee member.
Leaking roofs and water seepage during the monsoons have been a matter of serious concern, pointed out church committee member Gracy Abraham.
The paucity of funds is a major hurdle in any overhaul.
“We need a complete renovation and patch work repair will simply not do anymore,” said Amit Biswas, also a church committee member. Even a conservative estimate of the expenditure for renovation is pegged at Rs 25 lakh. And the church committee has limited means. It relies entirely on voluntary contributions made by the 57 families who form the congregation and an annual fund raising fete. A section of the funds has to be given to the diocese of Kolkata as the annual contribution. The committee members are against renting out the church lawns for parties. “The grounds are sacred and nobody wants the lawns to be destroyed,” said Pauline Mukherjee, acting principal of the St Thomas’ Girls School.

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Needed: A slap of mortar, a lick of paint Posted online: Friday, February 29, 2008 at 0254 hrs IST As you amble along the gates of the St Thomas’ School at Kidderpore and turn left at the first bend, the colossal tower of the St Stephen’s Church beckons you. A tour inside is an enchanting experience with each corner having its own unique story to tell. Even though the church committee has done an efficient job in the upkeep of the building, with each passing year, the task is proving to be an uphill one. The structure, which till has now withstood the ravages of time, could do with a thorough renovation but shortage of funds stand in the way. The history Official records suggest the parish church was built in 1849. But the St Thomas’ School was set up in 1789. According to the church committee, the “free school” was operating on the present Mirza Ghalib Street (the street was also named Free School Street after the school). The present location of the St Thomas’ School earlier housed a military orphanage. Then the free school was shifted to its present location and merged with the military orphanage. But there is no record of when that happened. “We have reason to believe that, as was the custom those days, a chapel must have been associated with the orphanage. Most likely, it was located where the church now stands. So, that means that the history of the church dates back to before the official records,” said Reverend Sourendra Kumar Sarkar. A walk inside St Stephen’s is perhaps the only church in the city that has two small rooms, besides the altar, located diametrically opposite to each other. Each room has a window overlooking the altar. “In those days, the Anglican nuns did not interact with the church gathering. They would be given the holy communion by the priest through these windows,” explained Reverend Sarkar. A narrow flight of stairs will lead to the roof. The climb is tedious but worth it. One look at the 200-year-old bell (it still rings) and a fantastic view out of the rickety windows that overlook the church makes you heady. The church is one of the few in the city that had an elaborate pipe organ. But the tradition stopped in 1982 with the soaring electricity bills. Since then, the elaborate instrument has been lying defunct. Plaques Lovingly put up by dear ones, each of the 20-odd plaques adorning the church walls is a fascinating narrative in itself. Interestingly, perhaps owing to the church’s vicinity to the port, most of these plaques are dedicated to victims of shipwrecks who lost their lives at sea. For instance, a plaque is dedicated to the memory of one James H Johnson who died in 1851. He conducted to Calcutta the first steam ship — The Enterprise — in 1825. The words “plaque by Spence and Son, Liverpool” is engraved in the right-hand corner of the frame. Another is dedicated to the memory of Edgar Belhouse, third officer of the ship ‘Khyber’ which sank in the Calcutta River on May 11, 1890. Belhouse was all of 21 years. Present scenario Recently, one of the overhead wooden beams had come loose and hit the floor. As one of the committee officials said, “We have been fortunate that no one was around then. It could have been fatal,” said Jimmy Able, a church committee member. Leaking roofs and water seepage during the monsoons have been a matter of serious concern, pointed out church committee member Gracy Abraham. The paucity of funds is a major hurdle in any overhaul. “We need a complete renovation and patch work repair will simply not do anymore,” said Amit Biswas, also a church committee member. Even a conservative estimate of the expenditure for renovation is pegged at Rs 25 lakh. And the church committee has limited means. It relies entirely on voluntary contributions made by the 57 families who form the congregation and an annual fund raising fete. A section of the funds has to be given to the diocese of Kolkata as the annual contribution. The committee members are against renting out the church lawns for parties. “The grounds are sacred and nobody wants the lawns to be destroyed,” said Pauline Mukherjee, acting principal of the St Thomas’ Girls School.