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{{article | publication = South Wales Echo | file = | px = | height = | width = | date = 2010-02-03 | author = Jessica Flynn | pages = 5 | language = English | type = | description = | categories = | moreTitles = | morePublications = | moreDates = | text = THE church used for the filming of an episode of hit sci-fi show Doctor Who has been put up for sale. St Paul's in Paget Street, Grangetown, Cardiff, was the location for the show's 2005 episode Father's Day which starred Christopher Eccleston and Billie Piper. But the Grade II-listed building has proved too costly for its congregation and they have reluctantly put it up for sale. Father Ben Andrews, who has been at the church for five years, said he and the congregation now hope to transform the church hall into a place of worship. "It's a large Victorian building and it needs a lot of money spent on it," said Father Ben. "What we are hoping for is someone will come up with a scheme that maybe we can still use it or half of it. "We are also hoping to do something with the hall and develop that into a modern building we can use for services. "Like any large building it comes with a price and we would rather be devoting our time and money for work in the community than having the cost of running the building dragging with us. "The filming for Doctor Who happened before I arrived here but they wanted a large building with a lot of windows. We get lots of Doctor Who fans coming to have a visit and two years ago we held a youth event based around the Doctor Who theme which was very popular." The freehold church is up for sale with Cooke and Arkwright, who are inviting expressions of interest. As well as its recent activities the church has a 120-year history after Lord Windsor gave an acre of land on which to build a parish church in 1885, and built the nave which cost him pounds 4,000. He laid the foundation stone in 1889 and in 1890 the church was consecrated by the Bishop of Llandaff on February 5. Tomorrow the Archbishop of Wales, Dr Barry Morgan, will preach at the church's 120th anniversary service. "The church is about people, not buildings," said Dr Morgan. "The 120th anniversary of St Paul's Grangetown testifies to a long and prayerful witness in this community. "At a time of considerable change in the local area, St Paul's offers stability, strength of purpose and focus. There are new developments with which the parish interacts as part of its involvement with the surrounding society. "As a living organism, the parish community also changes in response to the needs around it. "The 120th anniversary of St Paul's celebrates the past and gives an opportunity to enter God's mission field for the future." GRAPHIC: Parish priest the Rev Ben Andrews at St Paul"s Church in Grangetown and left, a scene from the Doctor Who episode 'Father"s Day' filmed at the church }}

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