FOR SALE: Beautiful, grand old home.
Fast sale wanted, millionaire owners can't afford to pay the bills.
The imposing Almondbury Rectory, off Westgate, is for sale because the Church of England says it can't find the cash for maintenance.
The move has angered some parishioners at All Hallows Church, who wanted to see their new vicar move in.
But the Rev Michael Rawson, Press officer for the Wakefield Diocese, has confirmed the house will go on sale on the general market.
Kirklees Council planning officers have warned off developers, saying: "It is in a conservation area next to an 800-year-old church. Getting planning permission won't be easy."
Mr Rawson said: "It is a big old house and paying for it is becoming a problem.
"But rumours about the new vicar not wanting to live there are not true."
Instead of the rectory the new vicar, the Rev Dennis Handley, is searching for another home in the village before he takes over the helm.
Father-of-three Mr Handley, who is moving from the Ripponden and Barkisland Parish, is set to take over in the coming months.
The shocked congregation at All Hallows Church were told last Sunday morning that the rectory would be sold.
One furious member of the congregation who asked not to be named said: "The fact it is adjacent to All Hallows' Church seems to have been overlooked.
"It was my understanding that a vicar should minister to his flock from its very heart, not from a safe distance.
"Two things are particularly galling. Firstly, this was presented to the loyal congregation as a done deal, without any consultation.
"Secondly, the Church of England - with managed assets of £4bn, including stock market investments and a massive property portfolio that generates £160m each year - are prepared to allow this to happen, citing economic concerns as the reason.
"Since the early 1990s giving has risen by about £100m, partly as a result of the church's constant pleas of poverty.
"In return for our increased giving we are rewarded with a much-loved rectory possibly falling into the hands of a property developer.
"Is nothing sacred any more?"
