£15.5m to repair historic places of worship

English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have allocated 15.5 million pounds to help with urgent repairs on some of the oldest churches, chapels and synagogues in England.

Beneficiaries include St Mildred’s church, a Grade I listed building on the Isle of Wight, that was designed by the husband of Queen Victoria, Prince Albert. Both worshipped at the church, which has been awarded £208,000 to help repair the roof. Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter, Princess Beatrice, was also married and buried there.

Speaking to Church Times, Rev Jonathan Hall, the Rector of the church said, “When she came here to worship, she used to sit on a simple chair, upholstered in blue velvet in the side aisle, which has its own private entrance. The new grant will enable us to retile the chancel and the Royal Pew roof, as well as take down and rebuild the bell tower.”

He said that the church had already been given a grant of £216,000 to repair the roof of the main tower.

The church to receive the biggest grant was the independent Congregational church, the Union Chapel in Islington, which received a grant of £421,000.

The New West End Synagogue in Bayswater, London, also received a grant of £108,000.

The Rabbi Geoffrey Shisler said, “We are extremely grateful to receive this grant. It is not just important to our Jewish community, but important to the whole of England to have historic buildings, like our magnificent synagogue, that we can be proud of.”