Funding to preserve medieval carvings

MEDIEVAL CARVINGS that adorn the ceiling of an ancient Yorkshire church are set to be preserved following a boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund.

St Mary’s Church in Beverley has received development funding of £38,600 for its Medieval Curious Carvings project. The scheme aims to repair and conserve a vulnerable area of the church in which a number of 14th-century bosses are housed.

The funding will also help officials at St Mary’s to progress plans to apply for a full grant of £421,400 at a later date.

The project aims to carry out essential conservation work to repair the stonework and prevent water damage to the ceilings, digitally record the carved bosses and develop a wide range of creative activities and events, allowing online public access to the collection for the first time. An educational programme is also planned. St Mary’s is widely regarded as a national treasure of architecture and heritage and is home to a stone carving of a rabbit, which is believed to have inspired

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Caroll. The Rev Becky Lumley, inset, said: “We are confident that as the project begins people will be delighted to see urgent repairs on the building take place.

“St Mary’s still needs to raise significant sums of money to repair crumbling stonework but, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, this will hopefully be just the beginning.”