The grants are our first round of funding to places of worship in 2021 and are made possible thanks to our Friends, supporters and trusts and foundations.
We are supporting a tremendous range of churches including very important Grade I listed Church of England heritage in Dorset, Herefordshire and Suffolk; a Baptist chapel in Sheffield which has a focus on helping local people in need and nationally significant churches in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
£133,000 of the funding is provided by Wolfson Fabric Repair Grants, as 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."
Churches being helped include:
Cemetery Road Baptist Church, Sheffield. A £17,500 Cornerstone Grant will fund urgent window repairs and upgrades to toilets. The work is part of an ambitious plan to return the building to the heart of the community.
St Peter and St Paul's Church, Blandford Forum, Dorset. A £20,000 Cornerstone Grant plus a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant will help the Grade I listed church, which is on the Historic England 'Heritage At Risk' Register, to carry out urgent repairs to the roofs and high level masonry. The church is the centrepiece of one of the best surviving Georgian market towns and is one of the 'Thousand Best Churches' chosen by Simon Jenkins.
Kirkcaldy Old Kirk, Fife, Scotland. A £10,000 Cornerstone Grant plus a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant will fund urgent tower, roof and window repairs. Kirkcaldy Old Kirk is the oldest building in continuous use in the town and today is a non-denominational Christian building. Adam Smith was baptised in the Old Kirk and his tercentenary will be celebrated in 2023.
Support for churches and chapels in Northern Ireland
As part of our latest grants programme we are helping nine churches and, unusually for us, five cathedrals in Northern Ireland. These one off grants are funded by the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme. These include St Patrick's Cathedral in Armagh, which receives a £24,500 grant for roof and rainwater goods repairs, and St Macartin's Cathedral in Eniskillin, Fermagh, which receives a £25,000 grant for roof and stonework repairs.
Communities Minister Deirdre Hargey said:
"I am delighted that I have been able to provide this support. This will help catalyse renewal activity and animate communities affected by Covid-19 by working with them to tackle the issues faced by our historic church buildings which are at the heart of our communities. Churches have played a critical role in the Covid-19 response and it is fitting that they now become part of our renewal through increased focus on conservation-led repair of heritage fabric, together with provision of new facilities to help ensure their continued use into the future."
Grants in 2021
In 2021, National Churches Trust grants are available to fund projects at churches, chapels and meeting houses. Applications can be made by Christian places of worship in the UK that are open for regular worship. From repairing a roof to helping to install an accessible toilet - and many other projects - the National Churches Trust's grants help keep churches open for worship and community activities and allow them to continue to serve local people and communities. Funding for our grants comes from our Friends and supporters, a wide range of charitable trusts and is supported by The Pilgrim Trust and The Wolfson Foundation. Find out more on our Grants pages.
Full details of the latest grants
Full details of Cornerstone Grants for fabric repairs and the installation of modern facilities, can be found below, listed in alphabetical order of counties. A photo gallery can be viewed at the bottom of this page and on Flickr.
Additional grants to fund a range of church building maintenance, small repair and development projects in England, Scotland and Wales 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. Information about all our March 2021 Grants.
DORSET
St Peter and St Paul, Blandford Forum - The church is on the Historic England 'At Risk' Register.
Church of England - Diocese of Salisbury - Grade I
A £20,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roofs, high level masonry and internal plasterwork at the Grade I listed church of St Peter and St Paul and help to keep it at the heart of the local community. The church also receives a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
A church has been present on the site since the early 12th century. Following a major fire in June 1731, which destroyed the entire town of Blandford Forum including the medieval church, the church of St Peter and St Paul was rebuilt to a design by John and William Bastard, noted local architects and builders, and re-opened in 1739.
The original plans included a spire, but due to lack of funds a 'temporary' cupola was erected instead. Between 1884 and 1895 the apse was moved eastward to form a chancel. Over time the interior has been adapted to suit the changing needs of worship. The church is the centrepiece of perhaps one of the best surviving Georgian Market towns. Simon Jenkins includes the church in his 'England's Thousand Best Churches' as did Pevsner in the 'Buildings of England'.
EAST YORKSHIRE
St Mary the Virgin, Hull
Church of England - Diocese of York - Grade II*
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will contribute towards the cost of urgent floor repairs. The wider project incudes the installation of three toilets and a kitchen and the creation of a meeting room at Grade II* Listed St Mary's on Lowgate in Hull. St Mary's 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 is a prominent landmark in Hull's Old Town and is first mentioned as a Chapel of Ease to the Priory at North Ferriby in 1327. The church was originally built of brick with stone dressings. However, the building we see today reflects Sir George Gilbert Scott's 1860s restoration. He encased the brick tower in stone; encased the exterior in ashlar; added Gothic windows, an additional south aisle, new vestry, porch and reredos; and renewed the altar, pulpit and font.
Today its mission is to help those in need in Hull's city centre. Volunteer organization, Hull Homeless Outreach has been running soup kitchens at St Mary's for a number of years on Wednesday and Thursday evenings, serving between 70 and 90 people, and more recently another team has joined them to provide hot food on Fridays.
ESSEX
St Mary the Virgin, Newport, Saffron Walden
Church of England - Diocese of Chelmsford - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help the historic Grade I Listed church of St Mary the Virgin in Newport carry out urgent repairs to its windows and enable it to continue to be at the heart of the local community.
The church
St Mary the Virgin is a landmark visible for miles around. It houses a number of treasures including the "Newport Chest", a portable altar of the late 12th century with oil paintings, and an octagonal font of similar age.
The oldest parts of the building are the chancel, nave and transepts which date from the early 13th century. The north wall incorporates a fragment of a Saxon cross. The porch is 15th century, over which is a priest's room containing a library founded by Dr Thomas Bray in the 18th century. There are brasses from 1515 and 1608, and stained glass in the north transept from the early 14th century. The 15th century tower was rebuilt in 1858-59 having been damaged by lightning.
GLOUCESTERSHIRE
Holy Trinity, Amberley
Church of England - Diocese of Gloucester - Grade II
A £5,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help pay to install new toilets to allow the Grade II Listed Holy Trinity church in Amberley to better serve the local community.
The church
Holy Trinity Church is one of very few remaining churches created with a cast iron internal floor and column structure. It is situated beside the escarpment of Minchinhampton Common in the village of Amberley.
The church was built in 1836 as a daughter church to Holy Trinity Church, Minchinhampton in a Gothic style. The building has an interesting two-tier structure. The upper floor is the church, accessed by the principal flight of steps at the west end, a ramped access on the north side and steps to the choir and clergy vestries at the east end. The lower floor, an under-croft or semi-basement, originally provided two school rooms but is now the Parish Room.
HEREFORDSHIRE
St Michael and All Angels, Kingsland, Leominster
Church of England – Diocese of Hereford - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the Grade I Listed church of St Michael and All Angels in Kingsland, including work on the roof, interior walls, floor, masonry, structure of south porch and removal of asbestos. This will allow the church to continue to be at the heart of the local community. The church also receives a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
St Michael's and All Angels Is considered 'one of the most interesting and complete Decorated churches in the north of the county'. Substantially larger than many of the other parish churches in the area, its size is testament to the relatively large population of Kingsland at the time of its building (1290-1310), and to the increasing power and importance of Roger Mortimer III, of Wigmore Castle, who was married to Maude, or Matilda, de Braose.
Within the church are a number of other historic features which collectively contribute to its exceptional heritage significance: these include a medieval triple-stepped sedilia, cusped piscina, a 14th century octagonal font and Victorian encaustic tiles from the famous Herefordshire Godwin tile factory.
St Michael and All Angels, Croft, Leominster - St Michael and All Angels is on the Historic England 'At Risk' Register.
Church of England - Diocese of Hereford - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help the Grade I Listed church of St Michael and All Angels in Croft pay for urgent repairs to the turret cupola and walls and safeguard its future. 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 Michael's is quite unique amongst other Herefordshire churches in that it is situated immediately adjacent to Croft Castle, a late 14th, early 15th century building.
Historic highlights include several pieces of stained glass, which have survived from the 14th-century building, including a scallop shell of St James and a sun in splendour symbol of the House of York. There are also large sections of surviving 15th century floor tiles, decorated with heraldic symbols, and almost certainly made at Malvern. When the chancel roof was rebuilt in the late 17th century, it was boarded and beautifully painted with clouds and gilded stars. At the same time, painted and carved angel heads were added to the roof beams.
ISLE OF WIGHT
Minster Church of Sts Thomas, Newport - The Minster Church of Sts Thomas is on the Historic England 'At Risk' Register.
Church of England - Diocese of Portsmouth - Grade I
A £30,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent roof and stonework repairs and the installation of four toilets, a new kitchen and new flooring to the Grade I Listed Minster Church of Ss Thomas in Newport and allow it to continue to be at the centre of the community. 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 first church was built in the 12th century. The present building, which was built on the footprint of the medieval church, dates from 1857. Stylistically it is in a Geometric Decorated style with liberal use of cusped tracery showing inspiration of A W N Pugin Gothic Architecture. As much material as possible was retained from the medieval church including medieval Caen and Quarr stone and several fine 17th century furnishings, including the Flemish pulpit and a reading desk.
There are several stained glass windows in the Elizabeth Chapel by the French artist Joseph Villiet dated 1858, which were donated by Queen Victoria. In 2008, Newport Parish church was granted the title of Minster in recognition of its contribution to the wider community.
LONDON
St Saviour, Hanley Road, Finsbury Park, London
Church of England - Diocese of London - Unlisted
A £20,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will fund the urgent re-roofing of the nave including the replacement of all roof slates and the installation of insulation in the church to help St Saviour's church continue to serve the local community.
The church
St Saviour's opened in 1879, in a temporary building known as a 'tin tabernacle', to serve the growing community of Crouch Hill and Finsbury Park, following the arrival of the railway. In 1888, the nave and aisles were completed. The nave forms a well-proportioned clerestoried brick basilica in the Gothic Revival Decorated style. Finally, in 1890, the chancel and vestries were added.
Throughout its history, the church has been a significant place of welcome, celebrating the diverse racial and economic backgrounds of the area including members of the Windrush generation - it has been a place of refuge for those needing restoration and healing, and a safe place of family and belonging.
The church now hosts a foodbank, which in 2020 made over 570 deliveries to individuals and families across the borough in response to COVID-19, as well as a number of other initiatives reaching families within the community, including an after- school kids singing group, a toddler music group, Community Gospel Choir, and in the near future a dance school and restored community centre.
SOUTH YORKSHIRE
Cemetery Road Baptist Church, Sheffield - Grade II
A £17,500 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent window repairs and work on a welcome area and toilets at the Grade II Listed Cemetery Road Baptist church, enabling it to continue its great work of service to local people.
The church
The church was founded in 1839 and members built a chapel on Eyre Street in 1841. As the membership grew, they moved to a new, three-story building, constructed in brick, stone and slate on Cemetery Road in May 1859. Two low buildings were added alongside in the 1860s and major additions to the rear were made in 1900. The front approach was remodeled in the 1960s. Many describe the work as "unsympathetic".
Cemetery Road Baptist Church has been the largest Baptist church in Sheffield for decades, and now welcomes significant numbers of refugees and asylum seekers, fleeing persecution in the Middle East and Africa. During the Covid Pandemic the church has been very actively supporting the community around it.
SHROPSHIRE
St Michael, Llanyblodwel,, Oswestry, Shropshire
Church of England - Diocese of Lichfield - Grade I
A £5,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help Grade I Listed St Michael's church in Llanyblodwel pay for the installation of modern toilets allowing it to better serve the local community.
The church
St Michael's is a small rural church on banks of River Tanat, in the hamlet of Llanyblodwel, near the Welsh border. The church was substantially rebuilt in 1847 by Revd John Parker, incorporating medieval remains and a schoolroom dating from the 18th century.
The church's earliest elements include a tall, narrow Norman south doorway, perpendicular north aisle arcade of three bays with simple short octagonal piers and two perpendicular east windows. Later works are recognisable by an imposing octagonal steeple, crowned by a curved stone spire, dormer windows in the north and south walls and arches with curly cusping.
SUFFOLK
St Mary, Nettlestead, Ipswich - St Mary's is on the Historic England 'At Risk' Register.
Church of England - Diocese of St Edmundsbury and Ipswich - Grade I
A £17,500 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the roofs of this historic Grade I Listed church of St Mary in Nettlestead and allow it to continue to serve the local community. The church also receives a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
The original Norman building, erected when the Earls of Richmond owned the manor, must have been of high quality, judging by the lancet window dating from around 1100 in the north wall. It shows both Anglo-Saxon and Celtic influence with intersected arches, scrolls and beads and is a special survival of high significance. The church was largely rebuilt in the 13th and 14th centuries during the tenure of the Tybetot family. The chancel east wall dates from the 13th century and features an unusual pair of arched recesses flanking the east window. The north doorway remains from the 14th century building.
The last extension of the building was the charming brick south porch added by Thomas Wingfield around 1630 and sheltering a 15th century doorway. Shortly after, in 1644, William Dowsing led the stripping of the church when the font was surprisingly spared of damage. The 19th century saw significant reordering of the interior including the east window of 1851 and works for the Diamond Jubilee. In the 20th century a stray bomb in 1940 caused near destruction when roofs were blown off, glass destroyed and the font blown to fragments.
WILTSHIRE
St Sampson, Cricklade - St Sampson is on the Historic England 'At Risk' Register.
Church of England - Diocese of Bristol - Grade I
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the nave roof of the Grade I Listed church of St Sampson in Cricklade and keep the church 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 church
A substantial Saxon minster dating from the late 9th century stood on the site which is now occupied by the church. This pre-Conquest cruciform building had broadly similar dimensions to its successor. The present church is built of limestone rubble with roofs of stone slates and lead. The north porch was probably added in the late 12th century. There had been some internal reordering before the major restoration in 1863-4 which included new roofs, a rebuild of the south aisle, the removal of galleries, a new stone pulpit and the replacement of a disorderly collection of seating with pews.
St Sampson's most distinctive feature is its square tower built between 1500 and 1550. With octagonal buttresses at each corner, it is a real landmark of the Upper Thames Valley. St Sampson's features in Simon Jenkins' England's Thousand Best Churches (2013) and is applauded by Betjeman and Pevsner.
SCOTLAND
Kirkcaldy Old Kirk, Kirkcaldy, Fife
Grade B
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will fund urgent tower repairs and safeguard the future of the historic Kirkaldy Old Kirk and allow it to continue to serve the local community.The church also receives a £7,500 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.
The church
Kirkcaldy Old Kirk is the oldest building in continuous use in town and today is a non-denominational Christian building. Founded by Columban monks from Iona in the 7th century, it was re-consecrated by the Catholic Bishop de Bernham in 1244. After the Reformation it became Kirkcaldy Parish church, with Revd George Gillespie playing a key part in securing Presbyterianism.
The 15th century, seven-metre square tower is the oldest part of the church, measuring 28 feet by 24 feet, the lower walls being five feet thick. It was heightened at one time to increase the range of the bell, first cast in 1553 and recast several times but still rung today. The parapet walkway gives fine views over the town and the River Forth out to sea, with a unique historical perspective on the growth of the town. Adam Smith was baptised in the Old Kirk. His tercentenary in 2023 will be celebrated globally.
WALES
St Mary, Llanfairtalhaiarn
Church in Wales - Diocese of St Asaph - Grade II*
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will pay for the installation of modern facilities and enable the Grade II* Listed church of St Mary, Llanfairtalhaiarn to continue serving the local community.
The church
Sited on the hill above the village of Llanfairtalhaiarn, within a walled churchyard, St Mary's is listed Grade II* for its "special historic and architectural interest as a parish church of medieval origin". It is double naved, of rubble construction with a slate roof. A belfry topped with a gilded fish weathervane contains a 17th century bell.
The church was subject to a Victorian reordering led by John Oldrid Scott which created much of the church seen today.
NORTHERN IRELAND
ANTRIM
Braniel Methodist and Presbyterian church, Braniel, Belfast, Antrim
A £15,000 grant will help fund the installation of new kitchen facilities and toilets and enable Braniel Methodist and Presbyterian church to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
Braniel church was formed in the 1958 when leaders in both the Presbyterian and Methodist denominations identified the potential of a partnership venture both in the Braniel and Taughmonagh Estates which were being built around the same time. The agreement was to pool their resources to construct a church building in each estate with a Presbyterian minister serving in Taughmonagh and a Methodist minister in the Braniel.
It was in a builder's hut that the nucleus of the Braniel congregation met. Over time the pool of talent and skills that by day were employed in such places as the Shipyard or Sirocco Works were put to good use at night to grow the premises from the builder's hut to a multi-purpose hall (Stanley Spence Hall) which was used both for church on a Sunday and for activities during the week.Over 40 years ago the current church sanctuary was built along with the multi-purpose hall which meant that no longer did the church need to meet in the hall for Sunday Services. The sanctuary space has an unusual pentagon type shape, which is synonymous with a number of other Methodist churches in the area.
Cathedral Church of St Anne, Belfast, Antrim
A £14,960 Cornerstone grant was awarded to fund urgent repairs to fix cracking in the walls of the Cathedral Church of St Anne and to safeguard heritage and enable the church to better serve its community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
Belfast Cathedral dates from 1899. It was built to replace the older late 18th century parish church of St Anne which had been a gift to Belfast from Lord Donegall. It is said that the reason he called it 'St Anne's' was in honour of his wife, although Anne is also the name that is traditionally given to the mother of the Virgin Mary.
When Belfast was made a 'city' by Queen Victoria in 1888, it was felt that a more prestigious place of worship was needed. The idea for a new Cathedral was first proposed in 1894, and five years later the foundation was laid. The last service to be held in the old parish church was in December 1903; the church was then demolished. In June 1904, the nave of the new Belfast Cathedral was opened for public worship.
St Simon's Parish Church, Belfast, Antrim
A £10,000 grant will update facilities at St Simon's church and enable it to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
A double-height gabled red brick Gothic-revival style church, dates from 1923-1930. Rectangular plan form the building has a single storey flat roof porch to east, gabled chancel to west and a square-plan tower to north. The origins of the church can be traced back to the late 1890's when a site for both a church and a school was purchased in 1900 with construction being undertaken in two stages starting in 1923 with a foundation stone to completion in 1930.
In recent times members of the congregation, along with groups of younger people, were involved in photographic, oral and video recording of the history and place of Red Brick Buildings across Belfast's mainly working class areas. The final programme was premiered in St Simon's church grounds, highlighting
DOWN
St Columba, Knock, Belfast, Down
A £25,000 Cornerstone grant was awarded by to help fund urgent roof and gutter repairs to safeguard heritage at St Columba in Knock and enable the church to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support
The church
Before the present church was erected, the congregation worshipped in a temporary church hall known as the 'Knock Iron Church', from November 1886 until it was destroyed in the 'great gale' of December 1894. The foundation stone of the new church designed by Samuel Close, a local architect, was laid in June 1895.
The first phase of construction, costing some £3,000, was consecrated in June 1896 and the second phase on 25 June 1900 at a further cost of £1,161. A tower and entrance porch, together with two additional bays to the nave were added between 1930 and 1932. The design was by R N Close, the son of the original architect. Later works included the side chapel in the north transept in 1964 and, to mark the church's centenary, another local architect, J Wright, designed a new choir vestry, in a chapel house style.
Killinchy Presbyterian Church, Killinchy, Newtownards, Down
A £22,780 Cornerstone grant has been awarded by the National Churches Trust to pay for urgent repairs to the roof, windows, rainwater goods and some doors at Killinchy Presbyterian Church, which will help it better serve its community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme. 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
The Killinchy Presbyterian congregation was established in 1630. Originally built in 1714 the church appears to have assumed its present cruciform plan in 1739. In the late 1890s Revd William Smyth carried out extensive renovations to the church, installing heating and new pews, adding the label moulding to the openings and building the boundary wall.
The last major alteration to the building occurred between 1940-50 when the external steps to the galleries were removed. Each wing of the cruciform has two evenly spaced windows each to the long walls and a centrally positioned doorway below a central window within an otherwise plain gable.
St Andrew Presbyterian Church, Bangor, Down
A £10,000 Cornerstone grant will facilitate work to replace the roof, repair the heating system, and building an extension with three additional toilets and a kitchen, safeguarding the heritage St Andrew's Presbyterian Church, Bangor and enabling it to continue serving the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
After a period of operation in temporary premises from 1948, the church building officially opened in April 1957, built at a cost of £30,000 (or £750,000 in today's money.) It was designed by architect Jack Tomlinson, who also donated two stained glass windows. Documents recorded "the church, in rustic brick and with steeply pitched roof, has the additional advantage of an eminent site".
DROMORE DOWN
Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer, Dromore, Dromore Down
A £12,760 Cornerstone grant will help fund urgent repairs to the walls, windows and roof of Christ the Redeemer in Dromore, safeguarding the heritage of the church and enabling it to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer is a 17th century church, built on a site used for Christian worship for almost 1,500 years. St Colman of Dromore set up a small 'daub and wattle' church on this site in 510 AD. It was probably thatched with reeds from the River Lagan, which flows beside it.
A medieval church, about which no record exists, was destroyed in the late 1500's. It was King James I who, in 1609, issued letters Patent giving the Church of St Colman a new title and a new status of The Cathedral Church of Christ the Redeemer, Dromore (known as Dromore Cathedral). That building was destroyed in 1641 by Irish Insurgents. A new structure, of which small portions are still visible, was built by Bishop Jeremy Taylor some twenty years later in 1661.
A narrow structure of around twenty feet wide and one hundred feet long was first built. This forms the base of the current tower aisle. A tower was then built, but soon dismantled. The Percy aisle was added by Bishop Thomas Percy in 1811. This aisle sits at right angles to the Tower aisle, opposite the pulpit. A semi-circular sanctuary in memory of Jeremy Taylor was designed by Thomas Drew FRSA during the ministry of Canon Beresford Knox in 1870. The Organ aisle and Baptistery were added at the same time creating an 'L' shaped building. Finally, the church was made rectangular with the addition of the Harding aisle parallel to the Tower aisle in 1899.
FERMANAGH
St Macartin's Cathedral, Enniskillen
A £25,000 Cornerstone grant will help fund urgent roof and stonework repairs and help safeguard the heritage of St Macartin's Cathedral and enable the church to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
St Macartin's Cathedral, until 1923 known as St Anne's church, dates from the early 1600s. It was enlarged in 1842 and further modified in 1923 when it was raised to the status of a cathedral within the Clogher Diocese. The cathedral is in a neo-Perpendicular Gothic style with a six bay, clerestoried nave, north and south aisles, vestry and square two-stage tower with parapet and tall slender central spire. A staircase outshot completes the form.
St Anne's was an Ulster Plantation Church, built by William Cole, founder of the town of Enniskillen. It is a Grade A Listed building and, in addition to its architectural interest, possesses many features and items of very significant historical importance. It contains statues of two members of the Cole family and the Cole family vault is under the building. The cathedral has superb stained glass windows, some of which are regarded as among the best in Ireland.
TYRONE
Kiltermon Church, Fivemiletown
A £10,000 Cornerstone grant will help fund the building of an extension, installing a kitchen, toilet and meeting room and enable Kiltermon church to continue to serve the local community. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
Kiltermon Church was built in 1841 as a school house and a Chapel of Ease in the parish of Aghalurcher. It was under the care of the curate of Clogher. The building was constructed using stone sourced from Alderwood Quarry. It became a Chapel of Ease under the Parish of St John's, Fivemiletown when The Perpetual Curacy to Clogher was dissolved and Fivemiletown became a parish in its own right. It was extensively renovated after World War II and a new roof was added in the early 1970s.
Termonamongan Parish Church, Teronamongan, Castlederg
A £10,000 Cornerstone grant will fund upgrades to a multi-purpose community room and new kitchen and toilet facilities enabling Termonamongan Parish church to continue to serve the local community. The church was home to hymn writer Mrs Cecil Francis Alexander who wrote 'All Things Bright and Beautiful'. Funding for the grant comes from the Department for Communities Historic Environment Division's Covid-19 Culture, Languages, Arts and Heritage Support Programme.
The church
Termonamongan Parish Church, otherwise known as St. Bestius, was built in 1822, and was extended to accommodate a growing congregation in 1870. The rector from 1850-55, was later to become Bishop and eventually Archbishop William Alexander. His wife was the famous hymn writer Cecil Francis Alexander who penned "All things bright and beautiful", "There is a green hill far away", and the Christmas favourite "Once in Royal David's City". The church was substantially renovated in 1977, including new stained glass windows and timber panelling.