The Church of England’s Expanded Conservation Funding Efforts
The Church of England has significantly increased its conservation efforts, more than doubling the grants disbursed by its national conservation team last year.
In 2025, the Church awarded 190 grants totaling £578,391, a substantial rise from the previous year’s 124 grants worth £260,000.
This increase in funding is partly due to the support from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, which has committed £4.69m over five years to the Church of England’s conservation grants scheme.
Additional financial support for the scheme has come from the Pilgrim Trust, the Radcliffe Trust, the Anglican Parish Churches Fund, the Oswald Allen Fund, and the Church of England Net Zero Fund.
Among the recipients of these grants is St Mary the Virgin church in Belchamp Walter, located in the Diocese of Chelmsford. Known for its appearances in Lovejoy and Downton Abbey: A New Era, the church received a £3,000 grant for the repair of an external wall that supports 14th-century wall paintings.
The church also secured £8,000 to preserve these invaluable paintings, which depict Biblical scenes like the Last Supper and are considered the church’s most significant treasure.
Additional contributions came from “Friends” of the church and the Bartleet Family, who provided £1,600 for preserving the church’s heritage.
Monika Shepherd, the church warden leading the preservation project, expressed gratitude: “Without our Friends, raising money relentlessly, we would not have been able to do any of this,” she noted. “We are very, very pleased that we have played our part in the history of these amazing paintings.”
The conservation scheme also supports other projects, such as the preservation of a library where Isaac Newton may have studied, a Saxon coffin, and a functioning clock from the early 15th century.
Eilish McGuinness, Chief Executive of The National Lottery Heritage Fund, emphasized the importance of preserving these sites: “Places of worship are among our most treasured heritage, at the heart of communities and caring for irreplaceable historic objects and works of art and nature. Yet they face increasing pressures, which is why partnership working and strategic investment are so important.
“Through our initiative for places of worship, we have been encouraging and supporting the sector to explore partnerships, innovative ways of working and strategic interventions to proactively address those challenges.
“The Church of England’s conservation grants scheme was one of the first we invested in through that initiative and we’re delighted to see the impact this approach can have – helping to safeguard collections, build vital conservation skills, and ensure these special places are valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future.”
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
