THE Church of England distributed £260,000 in 2024 to assist to guard and conserve the art, historic artefacts, and heritage assets held in its churches.
The 124 projects in 33 dioceses receiving funds related to historic artistic endeavors, stained-glass windows, church bells, medieval graffiti, and an 18th-century Bible famous for its misprints.
The conservation grants programme is run by the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Department, from funds provided by the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Anglican Parish Churches Fund, the Oswald Allen Fund, the Gunnis Fund, and the Church of England Net Zero Fund.
One such grant, to All Saints’, Slingsby, within the diocese of York, paid for the refurbishment of its Nineteenth-century clock. The clock was made in 1838 by James Harrison, a great-great-nephew of John “Longitude” Harrison, whose clocks revolutionised navigation at sea.
Kate Giles, the secretary of All Saints’ PCC, said: “When the clock stopped temporarily, I received numerous messages from our area people asking what was happening, and saying that it was a part of their soundscape — and so they missed it.
“Many of the individuals who sign Slingsby’s visitors’ book describe its regular ticking because the ‘heartbeat’ of the church and of the village. We are so grateful for this grant, which is able to help us to make sure Slingsby’s clock keeps time for generations to return.”
Church of EnglandSt Peter and St Paul, Wingrave, was received a Pilgrim Trust-supported grant for a conservation report on medieval graffiti on considered one of the church’s pillars
St Martin’s, Epsom, within the diocese of Guildford, was awarded a grant from the Oswald Allen Bequest to assist the conservation of a replica of the so-called “Vinegar Bible” printed within the 18th century. It was famous for its misprints, including the “Parable of the Vineyard”, which appeared because the “Parable of the Vinegar”.
In Buckinghamshire, St Peter and St Paul, Wingrave, was awarded a Pilgrim Trust-supported grant for a conservation report on medieval graffiti on considered one of its pillars.
The Archbishops’ Council’s director for cathedrals and church buildings, Emily Gee, said that the funding pot would grow this 12 months to £4.68 million, with the backing of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. “I’m hugely grateful to our funders, who achieve this much to assist enable this important conservation work, and thrilled that the Church of England’s conservation grants scheme is being expanded this 12 months, to assist much more churches with their projects, in consequence of the sensible support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund,” she said.
“Every precious item or monument detailed on this report is cared for by volunteers and supporters who give their time and expertise so generously to preserving the special heritage of Church of England churches. I would love to precise our immense gratitude to them for his or her dedication to such a crucial shared heritage.”
The newly expanded scheme, which will probably be administered over the subsequent five years, may even make grants to parish churches towards constructing repairs which can be linked to conservation of heritage assets similar to mending a leaky roof, or guttering, if water damage is affecting artwork inside.
