Historic churches to profit from Lottery funding

A 3-year investment scheme to assist preserve the UK’s historic places of worship for future generations has been welcomed.

The Lottery Heritage Fund has announced plans to take a position £100m in historic churches, chapels, synagogues and other places of worship fighting expensive conservation and repair costs.

It is an element of the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s 10-year strategy, Heritage 2033, which has identified places of worship as “heritage in need” due to “changes within the sector and gaps in support”.

“Our recent strategy commits us to working with everyone concerned concerning the way forward for places of worship to be sure that they’re valued, cared for and sustained for everybody,” said Simon Thurley, Chair of The National Lottery Heritage Fund. 

The Church of England has been awarded nearly £5 million from the scheme, which can go towards expanding ongoing conservation work across its historic parish churches. 

Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “Places of worship are among the UK’s most historic buildings often at the center of communities.

“There are many challenges facing these places, some recent and others long-standing.

“The Heritage Fund has launched a recent three-year strategy for places of worship which commits us to working with everyone concerned about their future to be sure that they’re valued, cared for and sustained for everybody.

“We are delighted to be supporting the Church of England’s conservation grants scheme and we’re looking forward to working with other organisations across the UK to develop their very own strategic interventions for places of worship of all denominations to tackle the issues they face.”

The Bishop of Ramsbury, Andrew Rumsey, who’s the Church of England’s joint lead bishop for church buildings, said the funding was “tremendous news”.

“I applaud the vision and generosity of the Heritage Fund in committing to the longer term of those extraordinary places of worship, wonder and repair,” he said. 

Emily Gee, the Church of England’s Director of Cathedrals and church buildings, said: “We are hugely grateful to the Heritage Fund for this extraordinarily generous and much-needed award for church buildings.

“It will enable us to expand our support to parishes of their crucial work to preserve our treasured cultural heritage, including the conservation of stained glass, wall paintings, clocks, bells, paintings and monuments.

“It may even provide a programme to enable churches to partner with educational institutions within the training of a recent generation of heritage craft skill specialists, who’re vital to the continuing preservation of this diverse and wealthy heritage.”

Any place of worship within the UK that’s experiencing challenges in conserving its heritage can apply to receive funding from the brand new scheme. 

Catholic Archbishop, George Stack, is encouraging Catholic churches to use. 

“Our churches are places of encounter with Christ through prayer, peace and inspiration, in addition to consolation, for many who visit for many various reasons. These sacred spaces are an indispensable a part of our wealthy and varied history and cultural heritage,” he said. 

“Inevitably, with the passage of time, they turn out to be subject to the generational cycle of requiring capital funded repairs. These have to be undertaken, often with extreme urgency, so as to secure and extend a church’s life and repair at the center of so many local communities.

“The generous recognition and priority of the National Lottery Heritage Fund in making grants available for this necessary work will probably be a source of encouragement to those that look after and use these beautiful buildings.”

Many of the Catholic Church in England and Wales’ 750 listed historic churches are in urgent need of funding for repairs. 

Sophie Andreae, Vice Chair of the Bishops’ Patrimony Committee, said that repair costs were often “way beyond the technique of their local congregations”.

“Buildings constructed through the Victorian period have now reached a degree where, despite maintenance, materials reminiscent of slates and leadwork need replacing, and a few highly inventive, indeed iconic, churches of the twentieth century are also in need of repair attributable to recent design methods and materials turning out to be less long lasting than thought on the time,” she said. 

“Recognition that these buildings are a very important a part of the nation’s heritage and deserving of funding is really welcome.”