Friends Meeting House, Kendal, Cumbria
A Georgian town meeting house completed in 1816 and used today both by Kendal Quaker Meeting and the Quaker Tapestry Museum.
Heritage Stimulus Fund
A £3.5 million investment in our grants scheme by the Government's Culture Recovery Fund in 2021-22 means that 32 more historic churches are safe for future. It is a great example of a project that helps keep churches open and in good repair.
We have been working very closely with Historic England to ensure that the funding goes to churches that have urgent repair needs, explains Nigel Mills, our Acting Head of Church Support.
“As one of the major funders of church repairs, our expert knowledge and excellent contacts with churches meant that we were able to fast track these really important grants to churches with urgent repair needs. One of the great outcomes of the funding is that it will help remove nine churches from the Heritage at Risk Register."
Huw Edwards, our Vice President, says :
This funding will protect heritage and keep churches open so that they can continue to support local people.
Two rounds of funding
We received two rounds of funding from the Cultural Recovery Fund. The first, in November 2021 is helping 15 places of worship, including Quaker Meeting Houses and buildings belonging to the Church of England and the United Reformed Church.
A second round of funding, awarded in February 2022, is keeping 17 more historic churches safe for future and providing a funding funding uplift of £500,000 to churches benefiting from the first round of funding.
Click below to see details of all the places of worship being helped.
BEDFORDSHIRE - St Mary Virgin, Northill. Dating from the 13th century and including a set of six bells, this Grade I Listed church receives a grant of £99,000 to fund the relaying of lead and associated timber repairs to roofs to make the building watertight.
BUCKINGHAMSHIRE - St Michael & All Angels, Hughenden, Buckinghamshire. A £76,490 grant will pay for urgent repairs to the tower of the Grade II* Listed church. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE - St Mary the Virgin, Gamlingay, Cambridgeshire A £206,786 grant will fund roof repairs, repairs to windows and improve the building. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
CAMBRIDGESHIRE - St Mary the Virgin, Leighton Bromswold. Containing one of the most complete sets of Jacobean pews and woodwork in England, this Grade I Listed church receives a grant of £79,000 to fund urgent repairs to the Nave, north transept and porch roofs.
CORNWALL - St Stephen the Martyr, Launceston, Cornwall. A £286,698 grant will fund urgent repairs to the roof of the Grade I Listed church, which dates from the 13th century. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
CORNWALL - Friends Meeting House, Marazion, Cornwall. A £31,904 grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roof, floor and heating of the Grade II* Listed building, the oldest purpose built Meeting House in Cornwall.
CORNWALL - St Anietus, St Neot, Cornwall. A £41,043 grant will fund urgent stonework repairs, safeguarding historic stained glass at the Grade I Listed medieval church.
CUMBRIA - Friends Meeting House, Kendal, Cumbria, A £132,337 grant will help fund urgent repairs to the roof of the Grade II* Listed building.
CUMBRIA - St John, Workington, Cumbria . A £164,744 grant will fund urgent repairs to historic windows to the Grade II* Listed church. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
DEVON - St Lawrence, Bigbury, Exeter. A £78,920 grant will fund urgent repairs to the tower and spire to address rainwater ingress of the Grade II* listed building. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
DORSET - St Martin, Cheselbourne, Dorset. A £16,771 grant will fund re-roofing in terne coated stainless steel of the Grade I Listed church following lead theft. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
DURHAM - St Chad, Bensham, County Durham. A £200,970 grant will help fund major repairs to the roof of the Grade II* Listed building, built in the Arts and Crafts style.
HAMPSHIRE - Newport Minster, Newport, Isle of Wight, Hampshire. A £584,189 grant will fund urgent roof and stonework repairs at this the Grade I church. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
HAMPSHIRE - St Andrew, Rockbourne. Founded in the 11th century, this Grade I Listed church is set on a hill with fine views across a valley. It receives a grant of £75,000 to fund urgent tower repairs involving removing the entire roof and then either replacing or restoring it prior to reassembly.
HEREFORDSHIRE - St Deinst, Llangarron. The church is dedicated to St Deinst, a Celtic saint who died in 584. Rebuilt in the 15th century, this Grade I Listed church receives a grant of £43,000 to fund urgent repairs to masonry which will make the building watertight.
KENT - St Andrew, Wickhambreaux. Dating from the 14th century, this Grade I Listed church includes much fine stained glass including a sumptuous Art Nouveau window by Arild Rosenkrantz, which may be the first work by an American glass painter in Europe. It receives a grant of £118,000 to fund urgent roof repairs to make the church watertight.
KENT - St Botolph, Chevening. One of the most important church buildings in the Diocese of Rochester, containing exceptional monuments in its Stanhope Chapel, this Grade I Listed church receives a grant of £42,000 to fund urgent roof repairs to prevent rainwater damage.
LEICESTERSHIRE - Holy Trinity, Norton Juxta Twycross, Leicestershire. A £60,626 grant will fund urgent repairs to the roof and to rainwater goods of the Grade II* Listed church. The work will help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
LEICESTERSHIRE - St Mary Magdalene, Peckleton. Dating from the 14th century, this Grade I Listed church has excellent acoustics and has played hosts to many concerts. It receives a grant of £25,000 to fund urgent stone and roof repairs.
LEICESTERSHIRE - St Philip and St James, Ratby. This Grade II* Listed church was built between the 13th and 15th centuries. The tower houses eight bells, the oldest of which was installed in 1367. It receives a grant of £26,000 to fund urgent repairs to the stonework of the tower.
LINCOLNSHIRE - St Mary, Marshchapel. A spectacularly beautiful building, completed in around 1420, Grade I Listed St Mary's church is known as 'The Cathedral of the Marshes'. It receives a grant of £36,000 to fund urgent repairs to gutters and masonry and plaster repairs.
LINCOLNSHIRE - St James, Skillington. A £10,711 grant will fund urgent repairs to the roof following lead theft in order to prevent further rainwater ingress and to halt the rapid deterioration of the church fabric and internal materials of the Grade I listed building.
NORFOLK - Holy Trinity, Caister. Standing just a few hundred yards from Caister's Roman fort, this Grade II* Listed church receives a grant of £96,000 to fund urgent repairs to the vestry to make the historic building watertight.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - St Mary the Virgin, Badby. Dating from the 14th century, this Grade II* Listed church receives a grant of £47,000 to fund urgent roof and tower repairs to make the building sound from water damage.
NORTHAMPTONSHIRE - All Saints, Northampton. A £39,909 grant will fund urgent repairs to the roof and stonework to prevent water ingress.
OXFORDSHIRE - St Mary, Cogges (near Witney). Originating as an Anglo Saxon structure, this Grade I Listed church receives a grant of £119,000 to fund urgent roof repairs to make the historic building watertight.
SUFFOLK – St Andrew, Rushmere. The original building was a medieval church built in the 12th century. During the 20th century the building has been extended to cater for much larger congregations arising from the building of Rushmere housing estate and the extension of the outer perimeter of Ipswich. The Grade II* Listed church receives a grant of £33,000 to retile the roof.
SUFFOLK - St Mary, Homersfield. Retaining original Norman elements, this Grade II* Listed church receives a grant of £68,000 to fund urgent roof repairs and work on the tower and interior walls.
WILTSHIRE - St Mary the Virgin, Steeple Ashton. Filling the visitor with awe and wonder, this Grade II* Listed church includes magnificent vaulting and was built in the late Middle Ages to replace an earlier church, the tower of which remains. It receives a grant of £36,000 to fund urgent repairs to the tower to safeguard its historic fabric.
WORCESTERSHIRE - St Mary, Kyre Wyard. Housing the Geneva bible, printed in 1578 and one of the most significant translations of the Bible into English, this Grade II* Listed church receives a grant of £19,000 to fund urgent repairs to its historic windows.
YORKSHIRE - Saltaire United Reformed Church, Saltaire, Yorkshire. A £59,936 grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower to prevent water getting into the Grade I Listed church.
Some of the churches we are helping
Three of the beautiful churches receiving funding
St Mary, Marshchapel, Lincolnshire
A spectacularly beautiful building, completed in around 1420, Grade I Listed St Mary's church receives £36,000 to fund urgent repairs to gutters, masonry and plaster.
Newport Minster, Isle of Wight
A £584,189 grant will fund urgent roof and stonework repairs at this the Grade I church and help remove the church from the Heritage at Risk register.
