Western Morning News (Saturday)
Trust funding will help repair landmark church
AMUCH-LOVED Devon church is to share in a £584,000 funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
A £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant will help fund urgent repairs to the tower of the church of St Philip and St James in Ilfracombe and keep the Grade I Listed building, nicknamed ‘Pip and Jim’s’, 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.
St Philip and St James has stood on a prominent position on the seafront, weathering the effects of Atlantic gales, for over 150 years. The tall and imposing building was constructed in the Early English style over two phases in 1856 by John Hayward.
The church features a striking pyramid shaped spire roof with Welsh and Delabole banded slate roof. Extensive fractured stonework, though a natural feature of the local building stone, has led to rainwater entering the building.
The project will facilitate extensive repairs to the tower including repointing, stonework, roof repairs and leadwork to make this part of the building watertight and safe. These works comprise the first and second phases of a six part project.
A spokesman for the church said: “Our phased program of restoration and repair is aimed to ensure this prominent building is secured and adapted for many and varied future uses that our local community will require and benefit from. Once we have a safe and weather tight building once again, we can focus on improving the internal facilities to meet the new and many exciting opportunities the future will bring.
“This has been made a reality due to the many generous organisations who have helped fund Phase One, particularly the National Churches Trust and the Wolfson Foundation, to whom we acknowledge their help and offer a grateful thank you.”
Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, vice president of The National Churches Trust, said: “I’m delighted that the delightful church of St Philip and St James, Ilfracombe, is being helped with a £10,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant and a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant. The funding will safeguard unique local heritage and help keep the church open and in use for the benefit of local people.”
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.”
A total of 64 churches and chapels in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland will benefit from the latest grants from the National Churches Trust, the charity supporting church buildings of all Christian denominations across the UK. £134,000 of funding for the grants has been provided by the Wolfson Foundation.
This is the first round of grants made by the National Churches Trust in 2021. Last year the Trust has awarded, or recommended on behalf of other funders, 304 grants amounting to £5.6 million.