64 churches across the UK will stay open and in good repair thanks to £584,000 of funding awarded by the National Churches Trust.
The latest funding from the National Churches Trust is a much-needed lifeline for the UK’s churches, many of which have found it hard to raise money for building projects during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The funding will help fund urgent repairs and modern community facilities, safeguarding unique local heritage and keeping churches open and in use for the benefit of local people.
The grants are made possible thanks to our Friends and supporters including the Pilgrim Trust. £134,000 of funding is for Wolfson Fabric Repair Grants, part of our partnership with the Wolfson Foundation to support listed churches in the UK.
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive at the Wolfson Foundation, said:
"Churches play a central role in the spiritual life of a community, but they are also an integral, much loved, part of our cultural heritage. We are delighted to be working in partnership with the National Churches Trust on this important programme supporting the preservation of these remarkable and wonderful buildings.”
We are supporting urgent work at many historic churches including:
- The Grade I Listed church of St Walburge, Preston. After Salisbury and Norwich Cathedrals, it has the third tallest spire in the United Kingdom, and is the tallest on a parish church. Funding for roof repairs will help remove the church from the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
- Urgent repairs to the deteriorating sandstone on the east of the chancel of Grade I Listed Hexham Abbey. This will mitigate the risk of falling masonry and restore the decorative detail of a highly visible part of this important building. Hexham Abbey is one of the oldest surviving Christian foundations in Britain, built in 674 CE as a Benedictine Monastery following a gift of land to St Wilfrid by Queen Etheldreda.
- St. Mary’s in Stoke by Nayland, the second longest church in Suffolk, which has one of the finest mediaeval towers in England. It is the subject of several of John Constable’s paintings. Funding will help pay for urgent roof repairs to the Grade I Listed church which holds a Bronze Eco Church award for its ecological work.
- St Elli, Llanelli in Carmathenshire which has its origins in a 5th century timber Celtic church on the same site. In the 1770s, John Wesley, leader of the Methodist movement, regularly preached at the market cross, now situated in the churchyard. Funding will help pay for urgently needed toilets and a kitchen at the Grade II* Listed church which will allow it to host a wide range of events and activities.
Full details of our latest grants
Full details of Cornerstone Grants we have funded directly for fabric repairs and the installation of modern facilities can be found below, listed in alphabetical order of counties.
Additional grants to fund a range of church building maintenance, small repair and development projects in England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland have been awarded via the National Churches Trust and by the Wolfson Foundation and with the support of the Pilgrim Trust and in Northern Ireland thanks to the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, the Pilgrim Trust, the Department for Communities and the Wolfson Foundation. Full list of March 2022 Grants
Bedfordshire
St Mary Magdalene, Melchbourne - Grade I
A £30,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower of the Grade I Listed church of St Mary Magdalene, Melchbourne, The church also receives a £10,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
The church of St Mary Magdalene is largely a 1770 rebuild of a 12th century building, built by the Bishop of Lô, with links to Alice de Clare, the Knights of St John and the Knights Hospitaller. Original Perpendicular features are retained in parts of the stone exterior, while the interior gives the impression of a Georgian church, decorated in white, pale blue and pink.
The church contains the propeller from an airplane which crashed during World War II in a nearby field, as well as a host of historic features including rare box pews, an 1858 organ from the famous organ builder GH Holdich, and a stained glass east window by Baer of Munich from 1909.
Devon
St John the Baptist, Hatherleigh - Grade i
A £30,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roof and tower of the Grade I Listed church of St John the Baptist. The church also receives a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
Hatherleigh (“Hadrelaia”) church is mentioned in the 1086 Domesday book but the majority of the building dates from the late 15th century and early 16th century. It was built in the Early English Perpendicular style with local stone from the Hannaborough Quarry, near Hatherleigh, and granite from Dartmoor. The church was restored in 1884.
St John features a three stage tower with a spire containing eight bells, the earliest dating from 1552. The fifty-four foot octagonal spire was brought down by a storm in January 1990 but was reconstructed. The church font is 12th century with striking patterns on the surrounding tiles, which are 17th century and were made in North Devon. The Churchwarden’s pew is Jacobean (1643) and richly carved.
St Philip and St James, Ilfracombe - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower of the Grade I Listed church, including repointing, stonework, roof repairs and leadwork to make this part of the building watertight and safe. The church, nicknamed ‘Pip and Jim’s’, also receives a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
St Philip and St James has stood on a prominent position on the seafront, weathering the effects of Atlantic gales, for over 150 years. The tall and imposing building was constructed in the Early English style over two phases in 1856 by John Hayward.
The church features a striking pyramid shaped spire roof with Welsh and Delabole banded slate roof. ’Pip and Jim’s’ has extensive fractured stonework. Though a natural feature of the local building stone, this has led to rainwater entering the building.
Essex
All Saints, Brightlingsea - Grade I Listed
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower and keep the Grade I Listed church of All Saints in Brightlingsea at he heart of the local community. The church also receives a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust. The funding will help to remove the church from the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
The church
This Grade I church dates from 1250. Its Tudor era tower is nearly 100ft high and a prominent local landmark and contains extensive features, including a Tudor font and musket-ball holes attributed to the Civil War.
The Lady Chapel, north chapel and central naïve aisles contain a series of 16th century memorial brasses to the wealthy Beriffe family and a 18th century marble rococo monument, erected in 1766 commemorating one of the founders of Lloyd’s marine insurance.
Kent
All Saints, Maidstone - Grade I
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roof and keep the Grade I Listed church of All Saints in Maidstone at the heart of the local community. The work will help to remove the church from the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
The National Churches Trust grant will enable the first phase of a three stage project to restore the whole nave roof. This first phase will cost £500,000 and the church has also been financially supported in this major project by Friends of Kent Churches, the Garfield Weston Foundation , the Culture Recovery Fund and several smaller charities, as well as many donations from private individuals.
The church
All Saints is one of the largest parish churches in England and as well as being a centre for Christian worship it also hosts many town, county and community events.
The church is medieval, being built at the end of the 14th Century by the then Archbishop of Canterbury, William Courtenay, as the church for his college of priest. It sits within a very large medieval complex called the All Saints Conservation Area, in the centre of Maidstone. It contains many memorials including that of Lawrence Washington, an ancestor of George Washington. The Washington family crest shows the stars and stripes pattern now seen on the American flag.
Lancashire
St Walburge, Preston - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repair work to the roof the Grade I Listed church of St Walburge, Preston.The funding will help remove the church from the Historic England ‘Heritage at Risk’ register.
Currently, with the support of Historic England, and the Catholic Bishops' Conference of England and Wales, the church has started much needed repair work. This first phase includes repairs to a major part of the south roof. In the future the rest of the roof will be repaired as well. The current project will cost over £378,000 and the church has also received £252,210 through the Bishops' Conference under Historic England’s Heritage Stimulus Fund.
The church
The majestic spire of St Walburge's rises in the heart of Preston. This church, a living symbol of the vitality of Catholics after the penal era, is an extraordinary example of Gothic revival. Joseph Aloysius Hansom, the designer of the famous Hansom Cab was the architect.
The church is in the Diocese of Lancaster and was entrusted to the care of the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, a community originally from Gabon, now based in Florence, Tuscany. Since 2014, the missionaries of the Institute have taken to heart to serve the wider community and to invite the public to come and discover this jewel of architecture and art.
London - Sutton
St Mary the Virgin, Beddington - Grade II*
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower roof and stonework, including replacing a fallen gargoyle, of the Grade II* Listed church of St Mary the Virgin. The church also receives a £4,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust. The funding will help remove the church from the Historic England Heritage at Risk register.
The church
St Mary’s church is a flint clad building built in the 14th century. The tower, added in the 15th century, houses a splendid peal of ten bells rung on most Sundays.
The church houses a great many features of historic interest: a cabinet inside the building contains a Roman lead coffin marker with Christian symbols, hinting at an early Christian presence in the area. The church is rich in 19th century furnishings, stencilled designs and paintings. The organ screen is an early work of William Morris, decorated with styled fruit and foliage.
Greater Manchester
St John the Baptist, Rochdale - Grade II*
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roof and dome of St John the Baptist in Rochdale. The funding will help to remove the church from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register. The church is a fine example of early 20th century modern architecture. The work will protect the building and help create a community hub and an inclusive heritage site at the heart of Rochdale.
The church also receives a £8,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
St John’s is a stunning historic Roman Catholic church rooted within the Rochdale community. The church was completed in 1925 in the Byzantine style, styled on Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia.
The construction of the church’s poured concrete dome was a radical process in its time. St John’s features outstanding floor to ceiling mosaics created by Eric Oppenheimer on the theme ‘Eternal Life’. This artwork covers the entire apsed sanctuary, created with high quality stone tesserae, coloured marbles, coloured glass and shimmering gold.
Northumberland
Hexham Abbey - Grade I
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the deteriorating sandstone on the east of the chancel of Grade I Listed Hexham Abbey. This will mitigate the risk of falling masonry and restore the decorative detail of a highly visible part of this important building.The church also receives a £6,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
Hexham Abbey is one of the oldest surviving Christian foundations in Britain. It was built in 674 CE as a Benedictine Monastery following a gift of land to St Wilfrid by Queen Etheldreda. The original building contains stone recycled from the old Roman fort at Corbridge.
The church has experienced many phases of development and reconstruction. It was damaged in Viking raids in the 9th century and refounded as an Augustan priory, being rebuilt in the Early English Style between 1180 and 1250. In 1296, the priory was set alight by raiding Scots led by William Wallace.
During Henry VIII’s Dissolution of the Monasteries the priory was dissolved and the Abbey became Hexham Parish Church. In 1828 the East Wing collapsed and was rebuilt by Newcastle Architect Jon Dobson in 1857. The nave was rebuilt on the existing 12th century plan by Temple Moore at the end of the 19th century.
Shropshire
St John the Baptist, Great Bolas - Grade II*
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund the installation of urgently needed toilets and a kitchen at the Grade II* Listed church of St John the Baptist. This will allow the church to expand their offering of community events for Great Bolas, a small village which currently lacks community space.
The church
St John the Baptist consists a chancel, nave, and western tower with two bells. It succeeds a medieval building from the 13th century. Apart from possibly two stones in the east window behind the altar, no part of this earlier building remains.
The chancel was built in 1690 by Mr John Tourneour, rector of St Johns for 32 years. The nave was rebuilt by the second Rev John Tourneor, and reopened on St John the Baptist’s Day, June 23 1728. The interior of the church has altered little since 1729 and retains a simple and dignified atmosphere. The nave boasts a complete set of 18th century box pews.
Somerset
St Lawrence, East Harptree - Grade II*
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower of St Lawrence, East Harptree and keep the Grade II* Listed church of St Lawrence at the heart of the local community. The church also receives a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust. The funding will also help fund the removal of a Victorian boiler flue built on the medieval tower, now redundant. The base of the flue will be retained to create a bat roost.
The church
St Laurence is a 12th and 13th century parish church with the tower dating to the 15th century. The parapet was restored in the 17th century. The church was restored in the late 19th century by architects GE Street and Micklethwaite & Clarke.
The South Porch contains a grand monument to Sir John Newton, who died in 1568; he is depicted lying in armour, while the two panels in front of the tomb show his eight sons and twelve daughters kneeling.
The church boasts a number of notable stained glass windows by Victorian firm Burlison & Grylls and Karl Parsons, a member of the Arts and Crafts movement. Parsons’ window depicts St George, St Laurence and St Agnes and commemorates the eight men from the village who died in the First World War.
Suffolk
St Mary, Stoke by Nayland - Grade I
A £12,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent roof repairs to Grade I Listed St Mary, Stoke by Nayland. The church also receives a £8,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust. The church recently received a Bronze Eco Church award for its ecological work and for the management of the building and land.
The church
St. Mary’s in Stoke by Nayland is the second longest church in Suffolk and has a 120ft. tower which dominates Dedham Vale and is one of the finest mediaeval towers in England. It is the subject of several of John Constable’s paintings. It can seat over 700 people on occasion.
The current building was rebuilt in the Perpendicular style in 15th century with the patronage of Sir John Howard, who was born and brought up in the village, and became right-hand man to Edward IV and Richard III, who created him Duke of Norfolk in 1483. Of particular note in the church are the beautifully carved 15th century south doors, some 14th century misericords, and one of the first ‘portrait’ memorial brasses in England.
For nearly 60 years during 19th century the Vicar was the Revd Martin Torlesse, who, well in advance of his time, set up a Benefit Society for its members, mainly agricultural labourers, to receive payment in sickness and death. He organised the first Choir Festival in England in1862, and encouraged some of the first emigrants to New Zealand, who founded a new Stoke near Nelson in South Island.
Wales - Carmarthenshire
St Elli, Llanelli - Grade II*
A £15,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund the installation of urgently needed toilets and a kitchen at the Grade II* Listed church of St Elli in Llanelli.The new facilities will allow the church to host a wide range of events and activities in support of the local community, both religious and secular.
The church
The church of St Elli has its origins in a 5th century timber Celtic church on the same site. The first written reference to the church comes in 1086 from Herewald, Bishop of Llandaff. The town is named after the church.
In the 1770s, John Wesley, leader of the Methodist movement, regularly preached at the market cross, now situated in the churchyard. Features include a reredos of the Last Supper by Harry Helms, two large stained glass windows by Edward Burne-Jones, a 13th century font, 28 significant memorials and a listed lych gate.
Northern Ireland
Armagh Cremore Presbyterian Church
A £8,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will enable moving the church’s changing facilities to the ground, making them accessible and easy to use for congregation and visitors to the church.
The church
Armagh Cremore Presbyterian church is a traditional barn style Presbyterian meeting house located deep in the Ulster countryside. Originally built in 1802, the church retains many original features, including the original stable and mounting block. The roof was replaced in 1953 with Bangor blue slate, and an extension was added in 1978.
Other churches being helped in Northern Ireland
A further nine churches in Northern Ireland benefit from £200,000 of funding thanks to a grant awarded to the National Churches Trust by the Historic Environment at the Department for Communities.