Joy as £223,000 lottery cash saves 800-year-old Shropshire church
A church that has stood for 800 years in the Shropshire Hills is in line to receive £223,000 to save it for future generations.
St John the Baptist Church in Myndtown, on the slopes of the Long Mynd, is a rare surviving example of a medieval farmers' church – but the Grade II-listed building is on English Heritage's 'at risk' register.
Supporters have secured Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) backing. A grant of £20,600 has been provided to plan the work and a further £202,500 will be handed over when work is ready to begin.
John Burt, the lead organiser of the bid, said the news came just hours before a recent fundraising evening at nearby Norbury Village Hall.
He said: "We are so very grateful to the HLF. Without them, it would have been impossible to raise so much money and the historic church would have been likely to close and fall into ruin.
"The development phase allows for more in-depth investigative work to be undertaken on the structure.
"Up to a year is allowed for this phase but we are aiming to complete it as quickly as possible, with a view to applying for the delivery phase early next year and, all being well, getting it under way by the summer."
Work will include re-roofing and repairs to stonework, the porch and bellcote, new rainwater goods, underground drainage and rewiring, and the complete re-rendering of the interior and exterior.
Parish volunteers are also planning interpretation boards, information leaflets, talks and special events, as well as designing walking, cycling, mountain biking and horse-riding trails focused on the church.
The Reverend Norman Morris, who oversees the church, said: "Apart from a little Victorian tinkering, the church is largely as a team of local builders from Norman times left it, going back to their farms, leaving behind something unique and special.
"It is a time capsule from a distant past and, as they saw it, a sacred space to be handed down to future generations. Now it's in need of sympathetic but urgent robust restoration, and we are thrilled that the HLF has generously awarded a grant which will enable it to serve the community for many years to come."
