Stonemason Alan Wolsey says the traditional rose window at the former Weymouth Maiden Street Methodist Church could, and should, be replaced as it was.

Mr Wolsey, from Chickerell, took measurements and design details of the window while carrying out repair work just months before the fateful fire in 2002 which destroyed the building.

A current planning proposal seeks to convert the shell of the building into flats with the developer hoping to largely protect the facade of the building – but is asking to put in a stainless steel rose window in the place of the stone original.

Mr Wolsey is not a fan of that idea and says it would be much better to re-create the original, with the help of his drawings, if necessary.

He and another mason were carrying out repairs at the building when he decided to take a few drawings and some vital statistics of the rose window.

“I really don’t know why I did it, professional interest I suppose,” said Mr Wolsey, “But I still have the drawings and the measurements and they could be used.”

He has also inquired of industry contacts about whether the Bath stone which the window was made of is still available – and it is.

He believes that up to a year might need to be set aside if anyone did want to re-create the stone window mainly by hand, although this could take a lot less time if the job were able to be completed by modern, computer-controlled stone cutting machinery. Around 23 cubic metres of stone would be needed for the job.

Mr Wolsey has even estimated the likely material price – around £36,000, although the cost of the glass would need to be added to that sum with different types and styles available. At most that could cost around £10,000 if traditional medieval glass was chosen, £4,400 for a modern glass, down to £2,000 for plain glass.

“I think it should be considered. It is such an important building when you look down the street and the rose window was the thing which marked it out. It would be a shame to have it in steel – much better in the original materials,” he said.

Mr Wolsey has worked on many of the key sites in the area which needed the skills of a stonemason over the years and spent more than 20 years training young stonemasons at Weymouth College. He was also behind the famous ‘pineapples’ which once stood on the main road between Dorchester and Weymouth.