21 more churches and chapels saved for the future

BEDFORDSHIRE

St Leonard’s, Old Warden

A £15,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent roof and tower repairs to St Leonard’s church in Old Warden.  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

St Leonard’s church, Grade I Listed is on the Historic England Heritage at Risk register. The church, which dates from the 12th century contains a set of 22 finely carved oak panels depicting the personal emblems of Henry VIII’s fourth wife, Anne of Cleves.

KENT

St Mary, Greenhithe

A £20,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent roof repairs to tiles and tile pegs at St Mary’s church in Greenhithe, a Grade II Listed church building.

The church 

St Mary’s Greenhithe was built in 1856.  In 1965 a church hall was built next to the church building by the Everards family. In the 19th century Everards was a large shipping company on the River Thames running from its base in the town.

The church is today situated in the middle of new housing estates, with the Bluewater shopping centre just up the road. The population of the parish has nearly doubled in the last 15 years as housing developments are completed in Greenhithe.

HERTFORDSHIRE

St Nicholas, Hinxworth

A £20,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the nave roof of the Grade II Listed church of St Nicholas

The church 

St Nicholas Church is 700 years old. Built in 1322 it occupies the site of a wooden church dating from 60 years before.

The floor of St Nicholas’ is two feet below ground, symbolising descending into water as for baptism. St Nicholas, the patron saint of sailors, echoes this connection to water.

The chancel has a panelled ceiling with simple bosses and mid-19th century stained-glass windows. A mid-18th century pulpit adjoins a 16th century Rector’s chair. The octagonal baptismal font dates from the mid-19th century.

St Peter, Westleigh, Leigh

A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for Grade II* Listed St Peter’s church in Westleigh, Leigh. The money will help pay for the installation of a kitchen.

The church 

St Peter’s church dates from 1881, designed by the famous Lancaster architects, Paley and Austin. The practice designed over 40 new churches and restored or modified many more.

It has a 1919 Grade II Listed War Memorial set in its beautiful front gardens; reputed to be one of the finest Church Memorials in the country.

When the church opened in 1881 it has cost £7,000 (equivalent to £750,000 as of 2021) and provided seating for 460 people. Today, St Peter’s remains a much loved church and the focus for family occasions.

St Edith, Orton on the Hill

A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repointing, masonry and window repairs at St Edith’s church, a Grade I Listed building with original box pews.

The church 

St Edith’s church was built from the local Triassic sandstone. The origins of the church are 13th century, but it has a number of later additions.

The nave and south aisle date from the period of Decorated Architecture (1290-1350).The nave was raised in the Perpendicular period in the 15th century, and the clerestory was added. High on the west wall of the nave are two corbels which originally would have supported the first tie beam of the former roof.

The church has a simple interior which includes original Georgian box pews, a triple-decker pulpit and Georgian baluster font. The church is described as ‘one of only a few complete Georgian interiors of its kind’.

Saint Aldhelm, Edmonton, London

A £20,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent roof and timber repairs to the spire of Grade II Listed St Aldhem’s church. 

The church 

St Aldhelm’s church was designed by William Douglas Caroe and built in 1903.

It is an overlooked gem, described by the architectural expert Nikolaus Pevsner as, “idiosyncratic” and “playful”. The walls are red brick with tile and stone dressings and the roofs are covered with plain tiles. There is a shingle-clad spirelet above the gable which separates the nave and chancel. While being mainly gothic in style, the design is very free and individual with strong influences from the arts and crafts movement.

Behind the altar is a stunning reredos on the theme of the Ascension, painted by the artist Walter Percival Starmer who is also responsible for the beautiful stained-glass windows, depicting biblical themes and commemorating the parish members who commissioned them. Together with the reredos, these were installed in the church as a war memorial in 1947-48.

St Mary, Mulberry Street, Manchester

A £30,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to rainwater goods and for roof and dome repairs to the Grade II* Listed church of St Mary in central Manchester.  The work is strongly driven by necessity, particularly as climate change is leading to an increase in the frequency of extreme weather events including intense rainfall.

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 

St Mary’s is a renowned church in the heart of Manchester’s historic Civic Quarter, near the Town Hall and within the Albert Square Conservation area.

There has been a church on site since late 1794, but its partial collapse in 1833 led Father M. Formby to commission a new church by Weightman & Hadfield of Sheffield. .

The old St Mary's church was entirely demolished and the new St Mary's was formally opened in October 1848. The church's design is a blend of Norman, Gothic and Byzantine detail.

During this period the church first became known as the ‘Hidden Gem’, an appellation attributed to Bishop Vaughan, who obtained a medieval font for the church and is said to have added the present main carved doorway, both originating in Germany.

From 1993 – 1994 the church was thoroughly restored. With advice from the art historian Sister Wendy Beckett, Canon Clinch commissioned new Stations of the Cross from celebrated religious artist, Norman Adams RA. Installed in 1995, these are widely believed to be one of the great ecclesiastical commissions of the century, and were blessed at a ceremony attended by HRH the Duchess of Kent.

All Saints’ church, Weston Longville

A £5,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to Grade I Listed All Saints’ church in Weston Longville to prevent ongoing rising damp issues.

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 dates back to the 13th century.  The Tower contains six bells, the earliest inscribed 1410, which were fully restored in 1976.

The interior of the All Saints’ contains many features of artistic and archaeological interest including a Saxon Stone Calvary, encased in the 13th century Font, and an Apostles Rood Screen, which dates back to the 15th century and which was not damaged during the Reformation.

All Saints’ church and village have two other claims to fame. Parson Woodforde was Rector of Weston Longville from 1774 to 1803 and his "Diary of a Country Parson' is still widely read. The  village was also home to the United States Air Force during World War II.

St James, Leckhampstead

A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for St James’ church in Leckhampstead. The money will help pay for disabled toilets as part of a large reordering project at the Grade II* Listed church building. 

The church 

St James church was designed by Samuel Sanders Teulon, who was an exponent of a High Victorian style known as “Modern Gothic”. It was built in brick and flint.  The most striking element of the church is the interior with vibrant brickwork, using red, cream, and black bricks in  patterns to the walls and bands over arches to the arcade and windows.

The Victorian Society and Historic England both emphasise the need to protect the building for its religious and historic value; as it contains artefacts such as the eleventh century font, fourteenth century bell, Jacobean pulpit and Georgian altar rails.

St Peter, Copdock

A £5,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for St Peter in Copdock. The money will help pay for a new accessible toilet in the tower at the Grade II* Listed church building. 

The church 

A church has existed on the site of St Peter’s since the 11th century, with the present church being built in 14th and 15th centuries.

The tower holds a peel of six bells, the earliest of which was made in 1614.The north door also dates back to 15th century. The North transept wooden roof still retains the 15th century leaf and flower trusses.

Down the main aisle, on the end of each pew, are fine quality 19th century ‘poppy heads’ (all different), believed to be the work of Henry Ringham; a notable Ipswich wood carver. The gallery was built in 1901, the same time as the organ chamber.

Whilst redecorating the church in 2020, an arch doorway and stairs leading to the old rood screen was discovered. This has now been restored to its original state.

St Agatha, Sparkbrook, Birmingham

A £25,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for St Agatha, Sparkbrook in Birmingham, one of the finest parish churches in the city. The money will help pay for the installation of a servery and disabled toilet at the Grade I Listed church building. 

The church 

St Agatha’s was completed in 1901. The architect was William Bidlake (1861 – 1938) and it is recognised as his masterpiece.

Described by Sir John Betjeman as, “one of the finest parish church in Birmingham” and in the current Pevsner Guide as, "the finest English church of its time”.  The church is in late Gothic revival style, but with the simplicity and sympathetic use of materials of the Arts and Crafts movement.  Red and blue brick with stone dressings were used for the exterior, and unusually long and narrow yellow-grey Staffordshire buff bricks for the interior. Hollington stone was used for the arches and mouldings and Bath stone for the dressings. .

St Agatha’s is an Anglican church but serves an Orthodox congregation as well. It is situated in an area suffering from very high levels of deprivation. By co-hosting a foodbank and previously other food services the congregation of St Agatha’s engaging actively with local issues; a servery and accessible toilet will have a positive impact on these efforts

Arkengarthdale, Reeth

St Mary’s church

A £10,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for the Grade II Listed church of St Mary’s, Arkengarthdale in Reeth. The money will help pay for the installation of a servery, an extension housing accessible toilets and an accessibility ramp.

The church 

Arkengarthdale is the most northerly of the Dales in Yorkshire. St Mary's was built in 1820 in the Gothic Revival style.  It is an exquisite example of an urban-style church built in a rural area. It is noteworthy for its extensive flat ceiling and good acoustics.

Wakefield

Westgate Chapel

A £25,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the Grade II* Listed Wakefield Chapel, replacing failing mortar and  rebuilding a wall.

The church also receives a £10,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust. 

The chapel

Westgate Chapel is a fine red brick Georgian building. The architect is likely to be John Carr of Horbury and York. It is the oldest nonconformist chapel still used for worship in the local region. 

It possesses many fine features including its pulpit, first erected in an earlier chapel, an interesting Booths organ manufactured in 1847, and a bell tower with a bell is said to date from 1799.  

Under the chapel are the first set of catacombs for public burial in the north of England, completed before the chapel. Amongst those interred in its catacombs are industrialists, innovators, merchant princes, members of Parliament and political radicals.

A pre-Raphaelite window in the style of Morris & Co was erected in 1881 to the memory of Thomas Wood, a wealthy draper.

Aberdeenshire

Crown Terrace Methodist Church, Aberdeen

A £15,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for Crown Terrace Methodist Church in Aberdeen. The money will help pay for the replacement of  kitchen facilities.

Aberdeen Methodist Church seeks to promote community, combat loneliness and contribute to improved mental health by building self-esteem within the neighbouring community. Providing food  and refreshments has been an important means of enhancing individual wellbeing and community resilience.

The church

In the late 1750s, a citizen of Aberdeen, Dr Memyss, approached John Wesley to send a preacher to Aberdeen and establish a Methodist society there. In 1759 John Wesley sent Christopher Hopper to preach. John Wesley himself came in 1761, the first of 14 visits to the city.

The current building dates from 1873 and is located in Aberdeen city centre. It has a large sanctuary with open plan/flexible seating on the ground floor and a three-sided gallery with pews. There are no other Methodist Churches in Aberdeen.

Flintshire

St Paul, Rhosesmor

A £25,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities for Grade II Listed St Paul’s church in Rhosesmor. The money will help pay for the installation of a toilet, kitchen and running water.

The church 

St Paul’s was built in local limestone between 1874-6 by the architect John Hill for the villagers working in the lead  mining industry there dating back to pre-Roman times and supported by the first Duke of Westminster 1825-1899 to whom the stunning marble font is dedicated.

Rhosesmor grew as a distinct lead mining village in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. St Paul’s benefited from local landowners who contributed to the formation of the church. Opened in 1876, the site was granted by the Duke of Westminster, the foundation stone laid by Mrs J Strutt Bankes of Soughton Hall in 1874.

In the church there is a small shop ‘The Outpost’, a welcome coffee area, information on the village heritage and walks to the hillfort,  a Site of Special Scientific Interest, with stunning views over the Dee Estuary and the Clwydian Range.

Belfast

St Mark's, Dundela, Belfast

A £25,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for much needed community facilities at St Mark's, Dundela in Belfast, an A Listed building. The church has strong connections with the internationally renowned writer C.S. Lewis, who was baptised here.

The money will help pay for the installation of a kitchen/servery at the back of the nave allowing for greater use of the church by tourists and other vistors.

The church 

The church, completed in 1878/9, is a landmark in East Belfast, its 150ft high bell tower being seen from many miles around.

It was designed in red sandstone by the eminent Victorian architect, William Butterfield - also responsible for Keble College Oxford - in magnificent Gothic revival style.

Sir John Betjeman described St Mark's as, "Butterfield at his best". Stephen Dykes Bower, consultant architect to Westminster Abbey, supervised restoration work in 1976 and commented, "It is an outstanding example of Butterfield's work...and a fine specimen of Butterfield attempting to recreate the Gothic grandeur of a medieval cathedral."

Downpatrick

Bright Parish Church, Killough, Downpatrick

A £15,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the roof, leadwork, and rainwater goods of Bright Parish Church. It will also facilitate the repointing in the tower and floor repairs.

The church 

Bright Parish Church is a simple hall church on a much older, elevated site on the Lecale peninsula, with panoramic views across the Irish sea, the Mountains of Mourne, and the Lecale coastline.

Antiquarian records suggest that the site has direct links to St. Patrick, with whom the Lecale area is intimately connected, being the birthplace of Christianity in Ireland.

Despite its diminutive scale, the current Bright Church has a long history some notable and surprising connections, including links to the Peerage of Ireland, the seafaring battles of the Napoleonic Wars, and the Ascendancy period of the Church of Ireland.

It is also believed to have been the site of the first Sunday School in Ireland, which celebrated its 225th anniversary in 1995 with a special service attended by the Primate of All Ireland, Archbishop Robin Eames.