£15m of lottery funding set aside for repairs to listed places of worship
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) announced more than £15million of Lottery funding to support urgent repairs to 153 of England’s most important Grade I and II listed churches, chapels and temples.
The money comes from the Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, which is funded by HLF and administered by English Heritage.
From Lancaster to Canterbury, these vital grants will help repair places of worship at risk across the country including the Church of the Good Shepherd in Nottingham and St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, London.
Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the HLF, said: “Historic places of worship are an irreplaceable part of our heritage that continue to play a vital role within local communities today. In the last 10 years, the Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £155million into these wonderful buildings and I am delighted we are able to continue supporting congregations across the country to safeguard them for future generations.”
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “English Heritage is delighted that these important buildings will benefit from HLF funding and EH’s expert advice. We know that maintaining places of worship and developing them sensitively is a major challenge and we are glad to work with the inspiring volunteers who make repairs and enhancements happen.
“Such fine buildings are a great resource, as places of spiritual discovery, landmarks, events venues, places of solace and architectural treasures. These grants celebrate both what they are and can be, whilst supporting the people who care for them on behalf of us all.”
The grants are offering much needed funds to places of worship. Some £193,000 has been awarded to the St Leonard’s Church in Shoreditch, East London (above and left). Star of the recent BBC comedy Rev, it is a Grade I listed parish church built in 1736 to the design of George Dance the Elder, whose notable works include London’s Mansion House. Currently on English Heritage’s ‘At Risk’ register, this classical church will now undergo vital repairs to its roof and gutters along with investigative work to ascertain the condition of its 192 ft spire.
A total of £119,000 has been awarded to the Roman Catholic Church of the Good Shepherd in Woodthorpe, Nottingham. Built in 1964 by Gerard Goalen to replace an earlier 1929 church, this Grade II listed building is of a modern concrete construction and incorporates striking stained glass using a dalle de verre technique (slabs of glass joined by concrete) by Patrick Reyntiens. The structure is suffering ‘concrete cancer’, reinforcement decay which is eroding the fabric of the building. This vital grant will enable the replacement of significant fascia panels, replace the buildings roof membrane and remove damaging rainwater from its flat roof.
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