A VICTORIAN church is throwing open its doors to all to celebrate the completion of the reinstatement of its heating system.

The church at Pockley, near Helmsley on the North York Moors, is fed by an underground railway track through a tunnel leading to the outside of the building.

The bell tower of the church is also the chimney which over the years had become completely blocked by debris from jackdaws.

In order to operate a modern multi-fuel stove the original flue and air vent system had to be adapted and, after several trial and error attempts, the building is now back to its original 1870 system.

The £3,500 work was funded through the National Park’s small scale enhancements scheme and to mark its completion an open afternoon is being held on Monday, April 8, from 2pm to 4pm.

Priest-in-charge, the Reverend Andrew De Smet, said: “Without the support of the National Park Authority we could have never accomplished this project, which has injected new life into the church and enables us to hold functions in addition to our church services; thankfully these are no longer held in the cold.”