An incredible transformation has taken place at the historic Sheerness Dockyard church on the Isle of Sheppey.

For the first time in more than 20 years the building now boasts a new roof and its stone clock tower has been completely rebuilt.

The facelift is part of a massive £8m project to bring the building back to life after it was gutted by fire in May 2001.

Residents watched in horror as flames tore through the Grade ll listed church and reduced it to ruins.

But thanks to the determined efforts of neighbour Will Palin, renovation work to convert it into a support hub for young people, a cafe and a permanent home for the giant Rennie Model of the former Royal Dockyard, is on target to finish later this year.

The building is expected to open next April. There will be hard-hat tours for the public in September for Heritage Open Day.

The revamp is being paid for by Historic England, the National Lottery Heritage Fund and 20 other trusts and foundations.

Mr Palin, who chairs the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust, said: “This is an incredibly exciting moment in this unique restoration project. After lying roofless and neglected for 20 years, this beautiful Grade II building has now regained its splendour and pride.

"The tower, lovingly repaired, commands the Sheppey skyline once more and the roof, destroyed by fire in 2001, has been faithfully restored to its 1828 design.”

Work began in November 2020 thanks to a £4.2million grant from The National Lottery Heritage Fund and £250,000 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund via Historic England.

The tower is now visible again with its four painted clock faces, gilded weathervane and stone balustrade.

The roof, which follows the shape of the Georgian original, now includes four circular roof lights to light up the space inside. Its wooden trusses span 18m and weigh 3.5 tonnes each. They are supported entirely by the walls although they appear to sit on the repaired decorative iron columns.

Marion Brinton at Historic England said: “We are delighted to have supported the Trust with their sensitive repair of the Dockyard Church.

"Seeing the clock tower expertly repaired and the original Georgian design reinstated is a fantastic achievement and a significant step towards the building coming back into use so it can once again play an important role in supporting the local community.”

Stuart McLeod of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “It’s fantastic news the project has reached such an incredible milestone in the restoration. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we were able to support this transformational project with a substantial grant of £4.2million to safeguard this building for future generations.

"Not only is our grant bringing the building back to life, it will also create a unique setting for a new enterprise hub for young people and a café. This important heritage will resonate with the community and beyond for years to come.”

Hat hard tours for the public will be held on Saturday, September 11, from 10.30am to 3pm. Details here.

The church was built in the 1820s to serve officers and workers of the newly constructed Royal Naval Dockyard. The architect was George Ledwell Taylor, surveyor to the Admiralty and designer of another famous Kent landmark, Hadlow Tower. He worked to a masterplan created by the engineer John Rennie.

Rennie had prepared the site by driving millions of timber piles into the marshy coastal ground. His state of the art dry docks and basins and mast house became the envy of the engineering world.

The Church continued in use after the Naval Dockyard was closed in 1960and later became a sports hall, boxing club and then a store.

It was gutted by fire in 2001 and compulsory purchased by Swale council in 2013 before being handed over to the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust and then the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust in 2015.