REFURBISHMENT of a 150-year-old chapel is bringing a new look to Ipswich's historic cemetery.Built in 1885, the Old Cemetery Church near Belvedere Road is currently off-limits as it undergoes a �100,000 revamp.

REFURBISHMENT of a 150-year-old chapel is bringing a new look to Ipswich's historic cemetery.

Built in 1885, the Old Cemetery Church near Belvedere Road is currently off-limits as it undergoes a �100,000 revamp.

But workers cannot wait to have the building back in use.

Jayne Double, deputy manager of the Cemetery Office, said: “It's a lovely little chapel and it will be nice to have it open again.

“It's quite quaint and even though it's quite small, lots of people use it for burial services.”

The Victorian church has been closed since October as Ipswich Borough Council replace the floor, repair the doors and spruce up the interior.

Project manager Mark Hunter said: “The work we are doing shows the council is committed to the conservation of its historic building portfolio.”

The Anglican Chapel was built with a sister non-conformist chapel for the opening of the cemetery.

The listed building became part of the Old Cemetery Conservation Area in 1995 and it is one of a few in the region still used for its original purpose.

The preservation of similar buildings is the subject of a national campaign by the Victorian Society.

Dr Ian Dungavell, of the group, said: “In some suburban areas the cemetery chapels may be the only architecturally significant buildings in the neighbourhood and it's important they survive.”

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