Father Michael Gill inducted as new rector of Cranford

The 49-year-old told the Chronicle he was looking forward to a fresh challenge, having spent 12 years in the south Wales parishes of Tonypandy and Clydachvale.

"Those parishes were quite small ex-mining communities so being on the outskirts of London will be very different," he said.

"But I was brought up in Birmingham and studied classics at King's College so I feel at home being in a large city again."

Fr Michael, who arrived in Cranford just over a month ago, enjoys 'anything to do with railways' and playing the piano and organ.

He's played the huge cinema organ at Leicester Square Odeon and has already popped into Brentford's Musical Museum to see its collection of instruments.

He said he was sad to leave his former parishes after so many years but was looking forward to getting to know the people of Cranford.

"When you've lived in a community for 12 years and got to know everyone so well there's always some sadness involved in leaving," he added.

"But I left with lots of happy memories and it's always good to have a new challenge."

It has been nearly eight months since Fr Luke Irvine-Capel left the parish last August, since when church wardens have arranged for a number of visiting clerics to lead services.

Restoration work to fix the crumbling stonework at St Dunstan's Church, in Cranford Park, was recently finished.

But money is still needed for repairs to the interior of the historic church, which is mentioned in the Domesday Book and is reputed to have London's oldest ringing bell.