THE dismaying sight of tons of fallen plaster have given Huntley church officials no choice but to close it for safety reasons at what would be its busiest time of year.
Already a funeral service has been moved to Longhope Church and a Christmas by Candlelight concert in aid of the restoration fund has been cancelled, said parochial church council secretary Christine Phelps.
"Obviously it is a very bad time for this to happen. There's the C of E school right next door too which had been planning its Christingle service here, and the youth group has been cancelled too."
She said architects advised that the remaining plaster was bowed and would have to be removed, and they now planned to completely replaster the main nave and side chapel of the important Grade I listed building.
It was unfortunate but repairs carried out to the leaking roof had probably allowed rotten plaster to contract and fall.
The total cost of repairing the whole church including necessary work on windows and the spire has been estimated at £160,000.
Huntley, in a united benefice with May Hill and Longhope, has had no permanent vicar since the Rev Tony Minchin retired in June. A new rector, the Rev Martin Thompson from Hereford, is due to join the community in mid-February.
Mrs Phelps said services would now have to take place in the other churches and the village hall would help.
The plasterwork was being discussed by the builder and churchwardens this week and would probably cost several thousands of pounds, an additional bill they had not expected to face.
Huntley was only a small community and although people had been generous any extra help would be appreciated.
Huntley Church was commissioned by the rector of the time from the eminent Victorian architect Teuton, who also built Huntley manor at around the same time. It also holds important carvings by master craftsman Thomas Earp which were exhibited in London in 1862.