Personal

Another conversion for Jesus

What do you see in this photograph? "A church"? Right, but ask the church what they see and they'll tell you otherwise.

According to a planning application recently submitted by Beaumont Baptist Church, they see the building becoming a single house. They see five bedrooms, all en-suite. A detached triple garage with office, spa and sauna. They see a private cinema, a study and ancillary rooms surrounding a large open-plan living space. A dining table set for ten. Six three-person sofas.

Oddly for the conversion of a Baptist chapel just about the only thing missing is an indoor swimming pool.

I presume the church don't intend on undertaking the conversion themselves but are applying so as to prove the value of the land when they come to sell it. I won't object to the application - I have no grounds on which to do so - and I don't know what will happen to the congregation. But it'll be sad to see the inevitable eventual renaming of the road to Old Chapel Street.