£2.6 Million offered to 23 cathedrals by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation
From the roof of Truro Cathedral, English Heritage announced today (Friday 23 January) that under its joint Cathedrals Grants Scheme with the Wolfson Foundation, £2.6 million is to be awarded for the repair of 23 cathedrals across England.
The cathedral grants announced today will be used for a range of projects from the repair of the central spire and tower at Truro Cathedral to masonry repairs at Lichfield Cathedral to roof repairs to the library of the internationally renowned Canterbury Cathedral.
Grants range from support for comparatively small works to tasks requiring significant sums of money. The maximum single grant is £250,000 which is being given to cathedrals in Truro, Lincoln and London (St Paul's). The scheme is open to both Church of England and Roman Catholic cathedrals and this year Norwich Roman Catholic Cathedral is receiving a grant for £72,000 for roof repairs. The grants total £517,000 in the West Midlands alone, the largest amount awarded to any one region.
But it is often the many smaller grants that are more critical to fund urgent repairs to masonry and leaking roofs. Many cathedrals are situated in towns which are not as prosperous as they were in their heyday. These grants help to make up shortfalls that the local community alone cannot provide so that nationally important buildings can be maintained for the benefit of the widest possible public.
Professor Sir Barry Cunliffe, Interim Chairman of English Heritage, said: "Cathedrals are some of our country's most imposing and beautiful buildings. The excellent craftsmanship demonstrated in these places of worship is something which we must strive to preserve for generations to come. The grants announced today will go some way to helping the custodians of these buildings in this task."
Commenting on the grants, Paul Ramsbottom, Executive Secretary of the Wolfson Foundation, remarked: "Cathedrals excite the imagination. They sit at the heart of our cities and communities as monuments to religion and magnificent craftsmanship. Cathedrals are used and appreciated by each succeeding generation and we hope that these grants will help to conserve these remarkable buildings. The Wolfson Foundation is glad to be funding alongside English Heritage and we have again greatly benefited from their expert advice."
The Very Revd Dr Christopher Hardwick, Dean of Truro Cathedral, said: "We are delighted with the announcement of the £250,000 grant towards urgent repairs and restoration of the central Victoria tower and spire. Without this help from English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation it would be very difficult indeed for us to maintain our precious Christian heritage."
"This grant is very timely. It gives us a real boost in our fundraising efforts which will need to see £2m raised to complete the work on the Victoria Tower and spire to replace worn and defective stonework. The Cathedral which welcomes nearly 200,000 visitors a year is at the heart of a county steeped in a rich religious tradition and our continuing ministry and mission is at the heart of all that we do. These necessarily go hand in hand with our stewardship of the building and all that it represents."
Over the past 17 years the Cathedral Grants Scheme has given just over £52 million which has helped to reduce the major backlog of problems identified by a survey in 1991. Today English Cathedrals are in a much better state of repair. This is the final year of the current joint grant scheme with the Wolfson Foundation but English Heritage will continue to fund priority repairs to cathedrals in need through its regional grants scheme. It will also continue to fund other places of worship such as parish churches that face a significant repair bill.
In addition English Heritage will be carrying out a range of projects to support cathedrals. A new survey, to be carried out in partnership with Church of England and Roman Catholic cathedrals, has been commissioned, to review the condition of England’s cathedral buildings. A visitor survey will be carried out by the Association of English Cathedrals, part funded by English Heritage. This autumn English Heritage will publish a book highlighting the best examples of new works in cathedrals, an invaluable guide to cathedrals seeking to make maximum use of their great, historic buildings.
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