A £300,000 project to restore heating at Christ Church in Old Town will see the landmark building close its doors for two months in a fortnight’s time – the first time in its 166-year history.

The project which has been going on for a couple of years will see the church close completely from February 6 for eight weeks to allow a speedy completion of the work on the new heating system, lighting, new wooden floor, storage area and audio visual improvements. Services will take place in the adjacent community centre.

The Reverend Simon Stevenette, vicar at Christ Church for 18 years, said: “We have had to be quite patient in waiting for it to happen but finally we are at a stage where it is going to get done.

“We are really excited and the purpose of Christ Church is to connect the community with Christ and having a warm and more flexible building will enable us to meet the expectations of people who use the church for regular worship, services and other activities. I tis a very important step forward.

“We want a fit for purpose church for the 21st century. It is a wonderful building but when people are cold and used to high standards, we wanted to give them the best facilities which is why we started working on the project.

“The purpose of the church is to get people connected to Christ but with the events we have held while we raise the money and get the necessary permission, friendship and hospitality means a huge amount to us as well.

"It is a wonderful building and one that we felt could be even more wonderful and less cluttered.”

The Grade II listed building has been without heat for a number of months after several of their boilers were condemned.

Much of the work has been financed by a generous donation from Pamela Gilbert, the daughter of a previous vicar of Christ Church who died in 2013, in additional to the support of the congregation and the Friends of Christ Church.

Stephen Grosvenor, who chairs the buildings committee, said: “The permission to proceed with the works, following consultation with various interested parties, comes at just the right moment. We are looking forward to a warmer, lighter and more welcoming church.

“We believe that our proposals represent a sensible and carefully thought out approach to the use of church in a modern society.

"Encouraging greater use of the church building both for secular and religious purposes is more likely to secure its future as a place of worship and spiritual significance for years to come.

“To do this we believe that we need to meet modern expectations of comfort and utility as well as to offer a genuine and warm welcome to all those who enter.

"It is vital to us that visitors and congregants perceive the building to be well looked after and cherished. This, in itself, is a reflection of our faith.”

There will be a number of original Baltic oak pews for sale of varying sizes from the work affording an opportunity to own a piece of Swindon’s history. All money received will go to supporting the renewal of Christ Church.

To support this project, contact the church by emailing parishoffice@christchurchswindon.co.uk