St Walburge’s Church, Preston, awarded major National Lottery Heritage Fund grant.
The community of St Walburge’s Church, Preston, is delighted to announce it has been awarded significant support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This grant of £245,380 will help secure the future of our Grade I listed church, architecturally one of the most important 19th-century Catholic churches in Britain.
With this funding, we will be able to:
* Repair and restore the south roofs, preventing further water ingress and protecting the stunning historic interior.
* Preserve and make accessible our extensive parish archives – around 5,000 items dating back to the 1850s – in partnership with Lancashire Archives.
* Safeguard and share our unique liturgical heritage of Gregorian chant, working with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) Global Sound Movement.
* Pass on vital conservation skills through workshops with UCLan’s School of Engineering and our specialist roofing contractor, HCR.
* Train volunteers in heritage research, cataloguing and communication skills.
* Offer new opportunities for community engagement, particularly for the large student population in our neighbourhood.
* Strengthen our role within the Preston community and ensure long-term sustainability.
A landmark of national significance
Designed by architect Joseph Hansom and built between 1850–1854, St Walburge’s is the largest noncathedral Catholic church in England. Its spectacular hammerbeam roof is among the largest of the 19th century, and its 94-metre (309 ft) spire is the third tallest in the UK after those at Salisbury and Norwich Cathedral. A much-loved local and regional landmark, the church is also a beacon of Catholic identity nationally.
Alongside its architectural importance, St Walburge’s preserves a rare living tradition: the use of Gregorian chant in the Latin Mass, led by our Canons and Sisters, internationally recognised in the field.
A collaborative community project
This project brings together a wide range of partners, including: Lancashire Archives, to conserve and interpret the archives. UCLan Global Sound Movement and Lancashire County of Song, to safeguard and share the musical heritage. UCLan School of Engineering and Heritage Conservation and Restoration (HCR), to transmit heritage building skills. The project will engage volunteers, students and local residents in rediscovering and celebrating this unique heritage.
Quotes
Bishop Paul Swarbrick, Bishop of Lancaster:
“I am most grateful to The National Lottery Heritage Fund for this generous grant of £245,380.00 for priority work on the Church of St Walburge’s, Preston. I thank all those concerned who have worked to submit the grant application, including volunteers and professionals. From 2007 until 2010 I was Priest-in-Charge of this magnificent place of Catholic worship. It can lift the heart to spend time in prayer in its vast interior, but it can also weigh down the heart given the costs involved to maintain her, but she is definitely worth it! My prayers are with the Institute of Christ the King, Sovereign Priest, and their ministry at this important Shrine Church.”
Canon Amaury Montjean, provincial of the ICKSP in Great Britain:
“A wonderful news for the community of St. Walburge’s church as well as for the wider community of Preston. This most loved church in Lancashire becomes more and more a haven for everyone seeking sacred liturgies, music and heritage. A great achievement from the rector, his assistants and staff of St. Walburge’s.”
Sophie Andreae, Vice Chair of the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops Conference of England and Wales, said,
“This grant award is brilliant news for St Walburge’s. The roof is in urgent need to major repair due to its age and the sheer height of the building which gets the full force of the weather. The first third of the roof was repaired in 2021 following a grant from the government’s post Covid Culture Recovery Fund’s Programme of Major Works. This new grant will enable the important section over the Sanctuary to be restored and made watertight. Congratulations to all those who have worked so hard to ensure this latest grant application was successful”
Canon Gwenael Cristofoli, rector of St Walburge’s:
“This grant is a blessing for our community. We offer our grateful thanks to players of the The National Lottery for enabling us to protect the beauty of this landmark church while also preserving and sharing the richness of our spiritual and musical traditions.”
Louise Sutherland, Head of Engagement, England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said:
“Places of worship are some of the most treasured historic buildings across the North of England and many play an important role as a cornerstone for our heritage and communities. We’re delighted that thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, we can support St Walburge’s to take vital actions towards securing a robust and more sustainable future for this wonderful church while forging stronger connections with communities in Preston.”
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About
St Walburge’s
St Walburge’s Church is located in Preston’s historic Maudlands district, on a site associated with St Mary Magdalene since the 12th century. Today entrusted to the Institute of Christ the King Sovereign Priest, the church continues to serve as a spiritual, cultural and community beacon for Preston and beyond.
Contact us:
Website: https://icksp.org.uk/preston/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/st_walburge_s_preston/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/icksp.preston#
About The National Lottery Heritage Fund
Our vision is for heritage to be valued, cared for and sustained for everyone, now and in the future. That’s why as the largest funder for the UK’s heritage we are dedicated to supporting projects that connect people and communities to heritage, as set out in our strategic plan, Heritage 2033. Heritage can be anything from the past that people value and want to pass on to future generations. We believe in the power of heritage to ignite the imagination, offer joy and inspiration, and to build pride in place and connection to the past. Over the next 10 years, we aim to invest £3.6billion raised for good causes by National Lottery players to make a decisive difference for people, places and communities.
heritagefund.org.uk
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