‘Wonderful’ church’s future secured with initial £370k for restoration

St Mary’s Church in Kirkby Lonsdale, a 900-year-old Grade I-listed building dating back to Norman times, is set to undergo significant repairs and improvements thanks to a £370,446 development grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

The church is one of five ‘major churches’ in Cumbria and is currently listed at the highest level of risk on the Heritage at Risk Register.

This initial funding will be used to develop detailed plans for a later application, which could unlock a full grant of £4,629,508.

Kendal-based Crosby Granger Architects have been appointed to lead the scheme.

Chloe Granger, director at Crosby Granger Architects, said: “We’re going to be leading the professional team to develop the scheme, making sure that the church, our client, gets everything they need on the inside to generate the income and deliver their needs, but we will also be preparing all of the conservation and repair details to fix the building.

“The roof is leaking very badly, the slates are at the end of their life and are falling constantly, and water is pouring into the tower so much that it’s green with algae on the inside.”

The plans include repairs to the tower, a new roof and changes to the interior, alongside improved heritage interpretation to bring the church’s history, stories and oral histories to life.

Proposals include guided tours of the church and tower, a bell-ringing school, an expanded programme of events, an accessible café trial, and the town’s first Changing Places toilet.

Parts of St Mary’s date back to Norman times (Image: Intro)

Ms Granger said they now had two years in which to submit an application for further funding and would start by reviewing the current sketch designs for the interior of St Mary’s.

She said: “It’s been a huge team effort so far, and for us it’s incredibly exciting to be through to the next stage.

“We’re just down the road, and are invested in the prosperity of the town, as well as this wonderful building.

“So for us, it’s an absolutely great project.”

Peter Gregson, project lead at St Mary’s Church, welcomed the grant and the support of lottery players.

Mr Gregson said: “Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to repair and restore this wonderful building, tell its stories and realise our ambition of keeping it open ‘for all, for all time.’”

The church is the largest building in Kirkby Lonsdale.

Helen Featherstone, director, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said: “We’re thrilled to support St Mary’s Church with this initial grant to work towards repairing and restoring the striking, centuries-old Grade I listed building.”

Alongside physical repairs, the project aims to ensure the church remains a welcoming and flexible space for the community and visitors, while also generating revenue for its ongoing upkeep.

If successful, the full grant will allow the project team to carry out the extensive conservation work needed to secure the future of St Mary’s for generations to come.