The Iron Church On the Hill, England

This Iron Church stands atop a hill, surrounded by beautiful rolling English countryside. Abandoned for over two decades, the years have not been kind to this wonderful little church.

I first visited this location in the summer of 2018. At this time, the walls were in a precarious but standing state. When I revisited a year later, one of the side walls had detached entirely. Through this now open wall, the green hills and landscape can be seen. It is likely that the church will collapse entirely one day, perhaps one last storm will spell the end for this ecclesiastical relic.

Histroy of the Iron Church On The Hill

The Iron Church dates back to the 1880s. At the time it cost £6000 to construct. It is made of iron panels, with wood cladding inside.

Interestingly, this church originally stood around 1.5 miles to the north west. The parish built a new brick building in the 1930s, and sold the Iron Church to a local mission. Subsequently, it was dismantled and transported to its new site. It was rebuilt panel-by-panel, and some structural modifications were added.

It saw nearly 70 years of service after it was moved. Eventually, it closed in the late 1990s.

Inside the abandoned church

The Iron Church is decaying. As the wind blows the iron panels of the walls and roof move, lightly grinding on each other as they slide. The rotting wooden floor is treacherous. To make the hazard even worse, a red rug covers the floorboards. I went through the floor more than once during my visits.

The Iron Church still has wooden furniture, including most of the pews and the pulpit. There are also three mini church organs, all huddle together near the pulpit. The windows are dirty and covered with cobwebs. Some vegetation grows inside, ferns and ivy in different areas of the crumbling church.