A TOURIST was so impressed with a Herefordshire parish church that he built an exact replica on the 21st floor of a skyscraper in Japan.

The multi-millionaire developer stumbled upon All Saints Church in Brockhampton accidentally after getting lost on a sight-seeing tour.

The 100-year-old thatched church and the spectacular wishbone arches in the chapel made such an impression on him, he decided to recreate it thousands of miles away in Osaka.

Developers used hi-tech laser cameras to measure the iconic arches of the 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 upper floors of the English-themed Hotel Monterey Grasmere.

The Reverend 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 stonework has been reproduced. The stained glass windows are all exactly the same and they have 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: “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 churchyard and railings which circle the original.

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

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

The Monterey Grasmere Hotel says young Japanese couples love themed weddings and the trend at the moment is for traditional English-style churches.

The church has been booked up since it opened in July and has already arranged weddings up to the end of next year.

The Japanese version can accommodate up to 60 guests and took four months to build.