construction begins on mammoth christian 'monument to prayer' outside birmingham

The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer will reach more than twice as high as the Angel of the North (Picture: Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer)

Work has begun on a Britain’s largest monument to Christianity just outside Birmingham.

The Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer is designed as a distinctive Möbius strip reaching 51-metres into the sky,more than double the height of the Angel of the North.

Situated between the M6 and the M42 in Coleshill,the monument will comprise of one million bricks,each with a story of an answered prayer which can be viewed on visitors’ phones.

Visible to motorway users,passengers on flights to and from Birmingham Airport and even from future HS2 trains,the scheme will include ten acres of green space,a visitor centre and a facility for conferences.

A groundbreaking ceremony will take place on Wednesday for the project,which was possible thanks to a £40 million fundraiser.

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Start your day informed with Metro's News Updates newsletter or get Breaking News alerts the moment it happens.Designers are hoping the landmark will be ready to open to the public in 2028,by which point they hope to have collected 250,000 answered prayers.So far,around 150,000 fulfilled stories have been submitted or pledged from 125 different countries,including accounts detailing the reconciliation of marriages and recovery from addiction.The £40million project will include 10 acres of green space and eventually a visitor and conference centre (Picture: Eternal Wall of Answered Prayer)It is the brainchild of former Leicester City chaplain Richard Gamble,who said he had been inspired to build the monument by a vision from God and has spent the last ten years gathering support for the idea.He said that despite several ‘delays and challenges’,the timing of the groundbreaking was ‘perfect’.‘I am delighted we are creating a monument that will share a million stories of hope and that people will be able to discover Jesus,who listens to and answers prayer.‘This is the moment to build a landmark of hope… a lasting testimony to the power of prayer,preserving the Christian heritage in our nation.’The huge band is being constructed on land donated by Midlands businessman Lord Edmiston,through his company IM Properties,which also also contributed towards the project.Lord Edmiston said the monument would be a reminder to all of ‘God’s goodness’.He added: ‘It is a testament to present and future generations of the creator of the universe who has answered numerous prayers over centuries past and still is answering them today.’Another £5.7 million is still required to make the monument fully operational and cover landscaping costs.