Conservation Report

St. James’ Church Conservation Project – The Journey that was.

St. James’ Church situated along Lothian Road in Kashmere Gate, Delhi is the oldest church in Delhi and part of the heritage of the city. The church was built in 1836 by James Skinner a Colonel in the British Army and who also formed the Skinner Regiment, a cavalry regiment which still exists in the Indian Army but now as a mechanized unit.

The Church is a Grade 1 Heritage Structure as notified in 2011 by the Government of the National Territory of Delhi. It is built in a Greek cross plan with a fine colonial classical architecture and a Florentine dome. The present compound of the Church has a rectilinear form, and the building is situated in the centre. It has a private cemetery lying in the northern part and containing the grave of the Skinner’s family.

The compound walls had four gateways which lead to the Church through driveways. In 1917 all the gates except the one which exists today at the front remains. The site also comprises of other structures like a series of rooms in the rear of the building. These were added within the complex during the time of Reverend Christopher Robinson in 1940. These two structures were designed by Architect Walter George who’s been instrumental in helping Edwin Lutyens and Herbert Baker in designing the capital city. The southern side of the complex was built upon by two storeyed buildings having four different units built in 1957.

The Church was facing several conservation and maintenance issues which needed to be urgently attended to as there was a serious structural deuteriation. The Church congregation took up the restoration cum conservation project in late 2015 and appointed INTACH, Delhi Chapter as the consultant for the preparation of the Detailed Project Report which INTACH submitted in March 2016. The total cost of the project was estimated to be about Rs 3.4 crores.

The DPR was used by Church to appeal to various bodies and institutions in India and even overseas for funds that were required for the project.  The Church also appealed to the Hon’ble LG of Delhi for a grant in 2017 for a conservation project. The Hon’ble LG directed the DDA to take up the Church’s application. After two years of deliberations over the project estimates by DDA and INTACH Delhi Chapter, who was now appointed as the project Executing Agency by the Church, the grant amount was finally determined as Rs 2.71 crore. The grant was approved by the Hon’ble LG in the meeting of DUHF (part of DDA) held on 6 May 2019 and the Church received the official communication from DDA to this effect in June 2019.

The work on the project however could only be undertaken in late 2022 – the delay caused by multiple reasons with COVID in 2020 and 2021 being the prominent one.

The conservation project was completed end July 2023 and a Dedication Service was held in the renovated church on 6 August 2023 which was celebrated by Rt Rev Dr. Paul Swarup the Bishop of Delhi. In the evening of the same day a civil service was held in the church where the Hon Lieutenant Governor of Delhi Shri Vinai Kumar Saxena was the Chief Guest and unveiled a plaque on that occasion.

The project underwent a long journey of 8 years and during this time saw many ups and downs but in the end, God made it possible that it was completed. To His Glory we the church members dedicate the renovated church.

General Conservation Philosophy

Conservation is a cultural, artistic, and technical and craft activity based on humanistic and scientific studies and systematic research. Conservation must respect the cultural context. In all works of preservation, restoration, there should always be precise documentation in the form of analytical and critical reports, illustrated with drawings and photographs. The conservation work should focus on preservation, with an intention to prolong the life of the monument and pass it on to the future generation in a better condition than what has been inherited.

 General guidelines followed during implementation of Conservation work at the Church:

  1. Documentation- The process of conservation work should be documented thoroughly for future record.
  2. Use of appropriate materials.
  3.  Respect for historic fabric.
  4. Capacity building.
  5. Value and authenticity of architectural Character.

Conservation and Restoration work undertaken at the St. James Church

  1. Stabilization/Restoration of Foundation and Plinth of the Foundation of Church Building.
  2. Emergency Conservation of Terrace and its waterproofing.
  3. Integrated Conservation of the Super-structure of the Church:
    1. Re-plastering of old/decayed/defective previous repairs by using traditional building material and methods- Lime Plaster
    2. Providing a Compatible Superficial coat of Lime Punning/Lime Finish.
    3. Repair and Restoration of all the Ornamental Plaster work.
    4. Repair of the Parapet and the dome with the traditional material.
    5. Arresting the water ingress from the terrace level as per the requirement and appropriate method.
    6. Re-laying of decayed/damaged flooring with the same material.
    7. Re-finishing of decayed/damaged woodwork.
    8. Re-done of old damaged electrical works and Illumination the Heritage building.