A former church near Burton whose foundation stone was laid by the grandfather of the disgraced leader of the British Union of Fascists Sir Oswald Mosley could be turned into a home after a dwindling congregation forced its closure.

Rolleston Methodist Church, in Chapel Lane, Rolleston on Dove, could be converted into a five-bedroom home after plans to preserve the building for community use failed to produce any results.

Barry Singleton of Gino Lombardo Associates Ltd has applied to East Staffordshire Borough Council for permission to make the changes.

The proposals includes removal of existing outbuildings and modern extension to the main building as well as providing a garden area.

The church was built in 1893 after Sir Oswald Mosley, the 4th Baronet, whose family was seated at Rolleston, laid the foundation stone which can still be seen today.

Sir Oswald Mosley Rolleston Church foundation stone
Sir Oswald Mosley Rolleston Church foundation stone

The church replaced the old chapel in Brookside which was too small and unsafe. Another foundation stone also laid by Sir Oswald Mosley on the Vestry is dated 1909 as Sir Oswald continued to support the church and local Schools.

The church was also built with a schoolroom to the rear to accommodate a Sunday School. A later 20th century extension to the rear provided toilets and disabled access. The Vestry was also converted to a kitchen.

A report to the council by the applicant stated the church was forced to close in 2013 when congregation dwindled to just 10 people.

The report said: “When the church first opened congregations regularly reached 70 people plus a Sunday School that at one point had more than 100 children and was thus one of the hubs of village life. Even though the congregation numbers began to reduce significantly over the decades the Character Appraisal Document in 2007 still described the village as having a lively social scene and mentioned the methodist chapel as a part of that scene. However the Sunday School closed some years ago, followed by the Women’s Meeting and when the church had its final service in November 2013 the membership has dwindled to 10, the Burton Mail reported at the time.

The church held a meeting in April 2014 to secure the building for community use. However, despite a business plan being prepared, it did not yield any results to preserve it as a community facility.

The report also added: “An informal discussion with policy planner Naomi Perry of East Staffordshire District Council confirmed that Rolleston has a requirement for housing and there did not appear to be any reason why permission would not be granted subject to the required information being provided.”

The applicant wants to convert the chapel to a home incorporating a first floor within the building, and retaining the original features of the building wherever possible.

If plans are given approval, the car parking will be reduced from 12 spaces to six, and will see a first floor built over the former school room accessed by a staircase within the main church building. A gallery area will be formed at the front of the church accessed by a separate stair. Existing suspended ceilings will be removed exposing original ceilings and roof trusses.

Externally, the rear extension and outbuildings will be demolished. The rear tarmac area will be taken up allowing a rear garden to be formed with paths leading to a pedestrian gate onto Station Road. To the front of the building the concrete hard standing will also be removed.

The report adds: “The proposals will improve the contribution made to the conservation area by finding a use for a vacant, significant building thereby securing its future; rectifying defects and improving the appearance of the building by removing inappropriate extensions and features; and improving the experience travelling down Chapel Lane by enclosing the front of the site and providing a more sympathetic external landscape. It will also improve the view from Station Road by creating an elevation facing the road that is more attractive, and will provide a bespoke home contributing to village life and rural economy.”