The 19th Century church sealed for Second Coming

Much is shrouded in mystery about a Surrey church that is sealed for the Second Coming.

For years, nobody has been allowed to peek behind the ornate stone walls and intricate rose window of the Catholic Apostolic Church in Albury.

But historian Trevor Brook said the estate was kept in pristine condition to be "ready for use" when, in Christianity, Jesus Christ returns to the earth.

The church sits as a monument to a religious sect which once reached from Albury out to the UK and the world.

"Nobody, not even locals can visit. It's not to be used for secular activity or to visit or for anything. It is purely maintained for the appropriate time," Mr Brook said.

"It's curious and intriguing that you can still do this sort of thing and keep it so closed and secret.

"This is an astonishing thing he has left for us all. The church regard it as a visible memorial to the lord's work by apostles, a place of pilgrimage to recall the past and a stimulus to expectation regarding the future."

From the outside, the towers and gothic exterior have earned the church the nickname of "the cathedral".

Just a few black and white photos exist of the interior and, while none can enter, the building is kept at a constant temperature of 10C to help maintain its condition.

The Catholic Apostolic Church was built in 1839 for Henry Drummond, a church sect who believed Victorian society was on the brink of collapse.

Drummond, a banker and MP for West Surrey, helped to build up the church which was founded with 12 apostles.

That church grew to have more than 900 sites worldwide.

When those apostles died, the church was closed for a "time of silence", beginning in 1901 and to last until the Second Coming.

While the church remains closed, the grounds still have a caretaker.

But for the time being, visitors will simply have to stand from outside looking in, wondering what remains of this mysterious monument.

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