The Diocese of London is delighted to announce that with a £514,846 grant secured from Historic England, progress is being made to save the former Church of Holy Trinity in Cloudesley Square, Islington.
Built in 1826 – 1829, it is the work Sir Charles Barry, the architect of the Palace of Westminster. Due to its poor condition, the Grade II* listed church is on Historic England’s Heritage At Risk Register.
The grant will go towards the cost of urgent repairs to the aisle roofs. The gutters had not been cleared of leaves for decades, causing significant damage, and in January the roof had to be braced to stop it from collapsing. The Diocese of London is currently seeking the additional funding needed to carry out the repairs.
Due to its poor condition, the church was placed on the Heritage at Risk Register in 2005. Historic England has been offering expert advice and support since then. In December 2018, Historic England awarded £69,300 for detailed investigation work and project development, bringing the recent funding total to £584,146.
Following the anticipated aisle roof repairs, £3.2m needs to be raised for construction works, and an estimated further £1.5m for improvements to bring the building back into use as a major community facility.
The Diocese of London has also received funding from the Architectural Heritage Fund, National Lottery Heritage Fund and the Pilgrim Trust to help save the church.
Emily Gee, Historic England’s Regional Director for London and the South East, said:
“We’re pleased to support the repairs to the roof of the Grade II* listed former Church of Holy Trinity with this grant. Roof repair is often a vital step before other works when restoring a historic building. Nearly 200 years old, its Tudor-Gothic architectural style still shines throughout its soaring interior and striking exterior, and these works will help to sustain its future.”
Kevin Rogers, Diocese of London Head of Parish Property Support, said:
“We are hugely encouraged by Historic England’s financial and technical support for the initial phase of critical repair. This is the first key step to bringing Sir Charles Barry’s magnificent building back into public benefit.”
A community engagement project is currently running thanks to the National Lottery Heritage Fund and ‘Culture Seeds’ funding from the Mayor of London. As part of the project, community walks will be take place in the spring by Islington Guided Walks and an exhibition curated by local volunteers, will be held at Islington Museum from 19 March to 27 June.
A series of three FREE arts and heritage workshops is also on offer to congregations wishing to engage their communities. Due to Covid-19 the decision has been taken to postpone the workshops and evening talks until the Autumn. The Exhibition and Islington Guided Walks will continue as planned, unless advice is received from the government accordingly.
