Work has started to turn a world-famous healer’s mission back into a centre of healing – as well as a museum and coffee shop.

Bowland Street Mission, nestling between a taxi firm and a takeaway, in Manningham, is where the faith healer and evangelist Smith Wigglesworth once had his base.

Now news of the building’s restoration has believers around the world buzzing with excitement, say members of a newly-formed Foundation in his honour.

Husband and wife Brian and Kathryn Holland, of Idle, have teamed up with international preacher and broadcaster Terry Quinn, of Cullingworth, to become founding members of the Smith Wigglesworth Foundation. They have agreed a long-term lease on the building to restore it.

Mr Holland, who has been studying Wigglesworth for nearly two decades, says although only a few Bradfordians know about this preacher, Wigglesworth is still big news around the world.

Wigglesworth, who died in 1947, left a legacy of faith healing and numerous reports of raising people from the dead.

Mr Holland, talking about the mission’s revival, said: “We have had enquiries from everywhere from people asking if the rumours are true and wanting to know when they can come to the mission.”

The plan is to restore the building to its original 1889 design.

Today a dedication service was being held to herald the official start of the project.

All the building work will be funded by public donations from around the world – especially the US where Wigglesworth’s fiery meetings are the stuff of legend. In Sweden, Wigglesworth had triggered such anger among medical doctors and clergy of the Lutheran state church that the government banned him from laying hands on anyone for prayer.

The Foundation hopes to re-open the building at the end of April to hold ministry weekends, conduct heritage tours, hold lectures and have Saturday meetings.

Mr Quinn said: “We are not a church and don’t intend to become one.”

Wigglesworth belonged to the wider church, taking Holy Communion in the Church of England, serving alongside the Salvation Army and ministering with the revivalists.

Mr Quinn added: “He was a poor lad from Menston, who moved to Bradford with his family to work in a mill and later established himself as a plumber. He really was a straight-talking lad, very much one of the people and, like him, we will welcome everyone in who wants to see what goes on.”