A BOVEY Tracey church can claim to have one of the most expensive window-cleaning bills ever... some £17,000.

There was a bit more to it, however, other than a quick wash and polish, and churchgoers couldn’t be more pleased.

Bovey Tracey Methodist church’s stained glass windows date back to 1934 when the church was originally built.

The Methodist Church took over the building in 1969 from the Congregational Church and this year celebrates its 50th anniversary in November, when the new-look windows will no doubt be a major talking point during those jubilee celebrations.

After years being subjected to the ravages of Dartmoor weather the metal frames at the base of the windows had become corroded and were in danger of collapsing and causing the glass to crack.

Fearing the worst, church officials brought in experts CJL Designs of Glastonbury.

The Somerset company proceeded to totally remove the windows, and set aside the leaded sections for re-use. They then transported the frames for shot blasting to remove any corrosion and replace the damaged lower frames and glass.

Now, nearly three months later, the refurbished areas of the windows have been reinstalled with all elements replaced in their original positions and are looking as good as new.

Carrying out the repairs and cleaning wasn’t an easy task. Church treasurer Richard Firrell explained: ‘The windows were difficult to remove without damaging the glass as the frames were fixed straight into the granite walls. They discovered the base frames had almost totally disintegrated so new ones had to be made.

‘There are three windows in all, and it took the company a whole week to remove the first one. Once they figured that out the second two came out more quickly.’

A delighted Richard said: ‘The result has been wonderfully revitalised windows. Unless you knew the work involved you might think this was the most expensive “window clean” in history at £17,000!’

He added: ‘They look amazing and hopefully will last for another 80 years.’

‘We have received great support locally from the church’s governing trustees, its members and the local community to help preserve these much valued windows for many years to come.

‘In particular generous grants were provided by Tracey Almshouse Trust, Pennon/Viridor Credits Environmental Company (landfill scheme), the Devon Historic Churches Trust and Allchurches Trust Limited (which owns Ecclesiastical Insurance Group) and who made grants nationally of over £16 million in 2018.’

The church is still hoping to raise money towards the final costs and is hosting a concert by the Ashburton Singers in the church at 7.30pm on Saturday, July 6.