£1.8 MILLION FOR REGION’S HISTORIC PLACES OF WORSHIP
English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) today (Tuesday, 3 March) pledged £1.8 million for urgent repair work to 16 Grade I and II* listed places of worship in Yorkshire and the Humber.
The grants have been awarded under the joint Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme, which since 2002 has invested £12 million in preserving the fabric of some of the region’s most historic religious buildings.
Work will target eroded masonry, leaking roofs and damaged stained glass windows, helping hard-pressed parishioners secure the future of cherished buildings.
The announcement was made at the magnificent Grade I United Reformed Church in Bradford, part of the Saltaire World Heritage Site. It was built in 1854 by mill owner and social reformer, Sir Titus Salt, whose bust stares out from the entrance hall, flanked by two marble alpacas (the animal supplied the wool on which his fortune was made). The building also houses his mausoleum. Today, the church attracts 30,000 visitors each year and remains a vibrant place of worship. Now a £152,000 grant will help fund vital repairs to the mausoleum and restore masonry and a leaking roof. Total cost of the work is estimated at £240,000.
Elsewhere, grants have been awarded to:
East Yorkshire/Humber (total £1.09 million)
St Helens, Skeffling, £189,000
St Nicholas, Wetwang, £172,000
St Augustine, Hedon, £83,000
St Lawrence, Sigglesthorne, £110,000
St Andrew, Foston on the Wolds, £94,000
All Saints, Roos, £19,000
St Lawrence, Thornton Curtis (N.Lincs), £97,000
St Mary, Swine, £145,000
Howden Minster, Howden, £188,000
South Yorkshire (total £177,000)
St Paul, Wordsworth Avenue, Sheffield, £68,000
St Cuthbert, Fishlake, Doncaster, £109,000
West Yorkshire (total £425,000)
Holy Trinity, Ossett, £98,000
St Margaret of Antioch, Burley Road, Leeds £175,000
(Saltaire United Reformed Church, Bradford, £152,000)
North Yorkshire (£78,000)
St Wilfred, Burnsall, £22,000
St Martin, Scarborough, £56,000
Maddy Jago, English Heritage Yorkshire Regional Director for Planning and Development, said:
'These grants aim to support urgent repairs and nip problems in the bud before they get more severe and far more costly to remedy. The support that we have been able to deliver in partnership with the HLF over recent years has been absolutely crucial. But even this level of support struggles to keep pace with the problem. Places of worship remain some of our most endangered historic buildings. That’s why we continue to fight for their future through our Inspired campaign.'
The Repair Grants for Places of Worship scheme is the largest single source of funds to help congregations care for historic churches, chapels, synagogues and other listed places of worship. However, it remains heavily oversubscribed, with twice as many applications each year as can be funded.
Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Yorkshire and the Humber, added: 'People really care about their local places of worship which are often a focus for the whole community. The Heritage Lottery Fund and English Heritage are helping to secure their future by concentrating on the most urgent repair needs and so making a crucial difference to their long-term survival.'
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