St. James’ Church was consecrated way back in 1864. The church building though solidly built has had to endure the damp and humid climate of the city of Kolkata with its harsh summers, torrential monsoon rains and its soft muddy soil for the last 145 years, not to mention a few earthquakes in between and is now definitely showing signs of wear and tear! Definitely Kolkata is not a place conducive to good health of buildings! As with other old buildings, St. James’ Church too is faced with damp floors, damp walls, leaking roofs, with plaster flaking and paint peeling off the walls. Inhabitants of this part of the country struggle to keep their much smaller residences protected against the harsh elements of nature and so one can imagine maintaining this church with its huge edifice.
The main problem is dampness which causes most of the problems. The church now needs extensive repairs in almost all parts of the structure. The roof covered with galvanized iron sheets, needs to be replaced in parts, broken rainwater pipes have to be replaced. The plaster of the walls has to be entirely stripped off, both exterior and interior and in some severely damp portions the bricks also need to be taken out and replaced with new damp proof bricks. There is also the necessity of chemical treatment of the walls to arrest the dampness. While stripping the plaster care has to be taken to see the masonry ornamentations are not broken and damaged portions repaired with care to ensure that the originality is not lost. Finally the church has to be painted, both inside and outside.
The wooden beams of the church also need to be treated for pest infestation and needs painting. The church floor also needs to be done up in the portions where the dampness has seeped through. Repairing the twin spires towering 128 feet, will be a challenging task! The drainage system in and around the church also needs to be cleaned and repaired to ensure free flow of water and effluents and the roads and paths in and around the church are in a bad shape and have to be repaired, re-laid and the area landscaped.
The doors and windows need to be repaired and repainted. Damaged glass panes need changing. Special care has to be taken regarding the stained glass windows. The teakwood furniture needs repairs. The church clock needs repairing and the church bells also need attention, particularly the Warner chiming apparatus. The electrical wiring and fittings and fixtures both inside and outside the church also need attention and have to be repaired or replaced as necessary. The Public Address system needs upgrading.
Finally one cannot talk about St. James’ Church without mentioning its magnificent three manual pipe organ. Unfortunately due to age and lack of proper maintenance personnel and also lack of funds this outstanding instrument has been silent for the last 7/8 years.
Steps are afoot to raise funds from various internal and external sources, as the Church by itself has insufficient funds to undertake this gigantic task.