St Mary’s Church in Garsington can begin repairs to its deteriorating stonework after securing grant funding to help restore the historic building.
The Grade II listed church dates back to around 1160 and has been at the heart of the Garsington community for centuries. Now, funding has been secured to begin essential conservation work, helping to protect the building for future generations.
Chris Wright, Chair of Garsington Parish Council, said:
“We’re really very thrilled. This is a £13,000 grant. Bits of the stone work is beginning to fall off... not only could [this] be dangerous to anyone walking past, if too much of this stone work falls out then the windows themselves will fall out."
"This is the first step on a longer term plan to try and make the whole of this building much more accessible to the wider community within the village. The Parochial Church Council and Parish Council are working together on this.”
The repairs are an important first step in giving the church a new lease of life and ensuring that St Mary’s can continue to serve its congregation and wider community for years to come.
The importance of the work was recently highlighted by ITV News, which visited St Mary’s to report on the church’s plans to repair the building. Watch the ITV News report.
Richard Jeffery, treasurer at St Mary Garsington, said: "As a rural church with a small congregation, raising funds for major repairs is a significant challenge.
"The grant will help preserve a building that has been at the heart of the village for hundreds of years, allowing current and future generations to continue enjoying and benefiting from it."
The project is the result of significant work by the church to secure the funding needed to care for its historic fabric. For a building that has stood for more than 850 years, the repairs will help ensure that its story continues.
The church has been awarded a £9,386 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation and a £3,679 grant from the Headley Trust, both recommended by the National Churches Trust.
Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said: "The National Churches Trust is delighted to be able to support St Mary’s with these essential works, a first step towards enabling them to install an accessible toilet for their beautiful building.
"Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people."
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