Heritage sites at ‘heart of communities’ share £41m

Image caption, St Mary de Castro in Leicester £365,514 for major repairs to its church tower

A total of 74 heritage sites across England will receive a share of £41m for repairs and renovations, the government has announced.

Churches, synagogues, town halls and other historic buildings at the "heart of our communities" and in areas most in need are set to benefit from two funding schemes.

They include St Mary de Castro in Leicester, St Stephen's Church in Nottingham, Birmingham Cathedral, Dover Castle, Margate Museum and Old Town Hall in Kent, and Osborne, Queen Victoria's family residence on the Isle of Wight.

Heritage minister Baroness Twycross, of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, said the funding would allow "much loved buildings" to remain open in the future.

Both funds – the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund – will be delivered by Historic England.

Image source, GoogleImage caption, Birmingham Cathedral will carry out work to halt deterioration on its tower and dome

The government said 51 sites would share more than £18m from the Places of Worship Renewal Fund.

The Grade I listed St Mary de Castro will receive £365,514 for major repairs to be carried out to its church tower, which is on the Heritage at Risk Register.

Work includes repairs to walling, pinnacles, parapets and friezes, repointing and stonework, followed by improvements to the area around the base of the tower.

The Church of St Elwyn, in Hayle, Cornwall, will be awarded £746,900 to help protect the fabric of the Victorian building, including repointing and masonry repairs.

Birmingham Cathedral has been awarded a grant of £377,185 to halt deterioration on its tower and dome, while St Stephen's Church in Nottingham will receive £109,633 for repairs.

Funding of £232,500 will also support restoration at Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue in Grimsby, the last remaining synagogue in Lincolnshire and South Humberside.

In Yorkshire, five churches will benefit: £266,942 to St Bartholomew in Rotherham, £820,200 to St John in Bowling, Bradford, £973,632 to St Catherine of Siena in Sheffield, £453,123 to All Saints in Doncaster, and £556,618 to St Agnes in Leeds.

At St Bartholomew, repairs will be carried out to the church tower and spire, alongside repair and conservation of the West Tower window and the Georgian timber bell frame. Funding will also support urgent repairs to the structure and rainwater systems at St Agnes.

Image source, Getty ImagesImage caption, Dover Castle will share £10m with two other heritage sites to carry out repairs

Meanwhile, 20 historic buildings will also share £13m from the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.

This includes £999,000 towards restoring the Grade II listed Margate Museum and Old Town Hall in Kent, and £850,000 to bring back the former Post Office in Abingdon Street, Blackpool, back into community use.

Meanwhile, Bretby Art Pottery Showroom in Swadlincote, Derbyshire, has been awarded £999,405 for a phased programme of repair, conservation and enabling works to secure its future.

And three heritage sites will get a share of £10m from the fund over the remainder of the Parliament, supporting restoration of defensive fortifications at Dover Castle, repairs to the roof of Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, and Osborne, Queen Victoria's family residence on the Isle of Wight.

Baroness Twycross said: "Nothing tells the stories of our nation quite like the historic buildings at the heart of our communities.

"But too often they are a far cry from their former glory with leaking roofs and crumbling stonework.

"Thanks to this funding, the much loved buildings that fill our hometowns with character will be keeping the doors open to communities for years to come."

Co-chief executives of Historic England, Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta, added: "Historic places are at the heart of communities across England.

"They help shape the character and identity of the places we live, work and visit, and provide spaces where people can come together, connect and take part in community life.

"These grants will support historic buildings and places of worship that face significant repair and conservation needs."

The government added there would be further rounds of funding to benefit dozens more sites as part of the wider £1.5bn Arts Everywhere Fund, which aims to save more than 1,000 at-risk venues in England.

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Department for Digital Culture Media Sport