The home of Stroud’s Jehovah’s Witnesses is getting a facelift with the help of volunteer workers.

Those heading up Cornhill in town will at some point have seen the Kingdom Hall, the term given for the place of worship for Witnesses.

A former garage, it has been the base for Witnesses in the Stroud area since 1955.

 

How to the Kingdom Hall currently looks

But now the congregation of more than 100 are being joined by a legion of 200 skilled workers to renovate their meeting place.

The plan is to practically reconstruct the building in its entirety, giving it a new look over a 10-week period.

First up will be rebuilding the entire interior, which will mean creating new ante rooms, toilets as well as an extended platform.

Then a special rounded roof - designed to comply with building regulations - will be transported all the way from Germany.

It will reached Stroud on a low loader lorry on the final leg of its journey and will replace the current corrugated asbestos roof of the building.

“This major renovation project in the centre of Stroud will ensure we have a place of worship that all can enjoy,” said the coordinator of the congregation, Roger Crabb.

Work has already started, with the interior mostly gutted, and will it continue into early December.

In the meantime, the congregation is temporarily sharing the Kingdom Hall at Cirencester.