A Japanese developer was so impressed with a quaint, English parish church he has built an exact replica on the 21st and 22nd floors of a skyscraper - in Japan.

The multi-millionaire tourist stumbled upon All Saints Church in Brockhampton, near Ross-on-Wye, Herefordshire, accidentally after getting lost on a sight-seeing tour.

He was so impressed with the 100-year-old thatched church and the spectacular wishbone arches in the chapel he decided to recreate it 6,000 miles away in Osaka.








     

 

The chapel was built after demand for traditional English-style weddings sky-rocketed in Japan.

Developers used hi-tech laser cameras to measure the iconic wishbone arches of the 100-year-old church which is one of only a handful of thatched chapels in Britain.

The three-quarter scale model of the Grade-I listed church has now been built on the 21st and 22nd floor of the English-themed Hotel Monterey Grasmere in Osaka.

Rev Will Pridie, vicar of All Saints Church, said: 'The replica looks stunning. The attention to detail is quite staggering.

'Even the slightest imperfection and mark on the stone work has been reproduced.

'The stained glass windows are all exactly the same and they've even built a scaled down bell tower with a bell which is rung on wedding days.'

 

Rev Pridie was approached by Japanese developers European Connections Ltd after the group visited the church last August.

He said: 'The developers said a group of Japanese tourists were visiting Britain and they stumbled across our church by mistake.

'They were travelling through Herefordshire and, I don't know if they got lost or not, but they happened to pass by the church.

'One of the group was a developer and was so taken with the church he decided to build an exact replica in a development in Japan.







   

 

'English-style weddings are apparently extremely popular in Japan and our church captured their imagination.

'The Parochial Church Council agreed to have the church reproduced and the developers came armed with laser cameras and computers and examined the church inch by inch.

'We are a very tiny village and congregation. I think everyone is just astonished that anyone would do such a thing - especially when you consider it is 21 floors up.'

Japanese couples can now get married in civil ceremonies in the replica church which even includes an exact copy of the church yard and railings which circle the original.

The replica church costs up to £8,000 to hire out for weddings compared to just £400 in the original.

On the same floors as the reproduced church are photographic studios and restaurants along with a hotel and honeymoon suites.