English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have announced more than £15.7 million to support urgent repairs to 154 Grade I and II* listed places of worship in England.
The Church of St John on Bethnal Green in Tower Hamlets, which has been offered a grant of £197,000 through the scheme Photograph ©English Heritage
Nationally, since 2002, £123 million of grants have been awarded for more than 1,300 Grade I and some II* historic places of worship under the joint Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, which is the largest single source of funds to help congregations to care for historic churches, chapels, synagogues and other historic places of worship.
This year, places of worship from a range of faiths and denominations will be able to implement repair and improvement programmes as a result of the grant scheme. Places of worship set to benefit include: the Presbyterian Church of St Peter, West Liss, East Hampshire: The Prince’s Road Synagogue in Liverpool; and the Christian Church of St George in Cullercoats, North Shields.
Dr Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “We are delighted with the continued success of this important national scheme which has helped to restore and preserve some of the country’s most historic places of worship.”
St George’s Church at Easton in Gordano that has been offered a grant of £124,000 through the scheme Photograph ©English Heritage
“Historic places of worship are at the heart of their communities. They give us beautiful public spaces where people can find peace or companionship, enjoy exhibitions and concerts or benefit from practical services such as post offices, shops, nurseries. We are thrilled to be working with the HLF to support over 150 of England’s most significant places of worship as they are repaired for the use of our generation and the enjoyment of our children and grandchildren.”
Carole Souter, Chief Executive of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said: “England’s places of worship are a key part of our heritage but largely rely on the hard work and generosity of local communities and volunteers to keep them in good order. This money will help support the passion and commitment of those communities and safeguard these precious and important buildings.”
Father Adrian Hughes of St George’s Church in Cullercoats said: “Keeping the church in a good state of repair is a vital part of ensuring people continue to enjoy and appreciate the building. The local church community has been very active over the last 12 months with almost £50,000 raised in an effort to match the grant.”
The Repair Grants for Places of Worship in England Scheme is jointly funded by English Heritage (EH) and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF). The scheme is administered by EH on behalf of both organisations. Since 1994, HLF have awarded over £378 million to projects that have conserved the built fabric of more than 3,300 places of worship and other religious monuments, including over 2,500 listed buildings.
Grants for repairs being made available to England’s Grade II listed places of worship will be announced in May.
www.english-heritage.org.uk
www.hlf.org.uk
