IT’S the end of an era for one Dudley church which is closing its doors for the final time on Sunday.

Members of Vicar Street Methodist Church have taken the difficult decision to close it down after being forced by failing attendance numbers and esculating building costs.

There has been a church on the site since 1902 but the current building, which was built in 1942 was the only chapel to be built in Britain during the war and cost just £2,000.

One of only seven current church members, 74-year-old Alan Wedge has been attending the Vicar Street church since 1948 and said it was actually built smaller than planned.

He added: “It should have been a lot grander, but the government said the bricks should be used for the war instead. They also stated it couldn’t cost more than £2,000 - it actually came 30p under budget.

In 2001 the chapel was saved from being flattened by a proposed multi-million redevelopment of Flood Street, however spiralling costs for much needed building repair work to the boundary wall and electric rewiring has forced the members to decide to shut their church.

The chapel is well known for its ‘Young Men’s Bible Class’ which was started in 1925 by Bert Bissell, a peace campaigner who famously climbed Ben Nevis on VJ Day - August 15 1945 with his class members.

At the top he built a rough cairn of stones and made the same peace pilgrimage every year until 1997. He died a year later aged 96.

However his bible class is still continuing every Sunday afternoon with 17 members but renamed as the Vicar Street Bible Class and has inspired eighteen young men to enter the Methodist ministry and 30 members to become local preachers.

The class will continue after the chapel’s closure as it transfers to nearby Central Methodist Church in Wolverhampton Street with the congregation splitting between Central and Dixons Green Methodist Church in Hall Street, Dudley.

Vicar Street will mark its final service on Sunday morning at 11am with a service of celebration which will be lead by two former members of the Bible Class - Reverend Indergit Bhogal, a past President of the Methodist Church and the Reverend Doctor David Monkton.

After the service there will be refreshments as well as a display of old photos and posters of the church and its members which have been collected over the years and visitors will be able to take one away as a souvineer of the chapel.

Mr Wedge said: “I think it will be quite emotional on the day after all this church has sent many men into the Methodist ministry.

“It is sad, an end of an era but we haven’t taken the decision lightly”.