Thanks to National Lottery players specialist stonemasons will remove and replace a precarious pinnacle at St Mary’s Church, Beverley (stmarysbeverley.org) on Friday 28th July 2017.
Later this year the pinnacle will be replaced with a new carving including a fabulous new gargoyle which acts as a weight to keep the pinnacle secure.
The grant of £82,100 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) not only focuses on repairing the pinnacle but will also allow the development of educational resources to help people learn about how medieval stonemasons worked.
The project will enable people to discover how enormous pieces of stone were lifted and carved without modern technology.
It will give a genuine appreciation of the skill and dedication of medieval craftsmen.
St Mary’s is widely regarded as a national treasure of architecture and heritage and is home to Lewis Carol’s White Rabbit as well as some extraordinary carved and painted ceilings.
It is also the focal point of much community activity in Beverley.
St Mary’s attracts tens of thousands of visitors from all over the world every year.
Through the volunteering scheme, many learn new skills and fall in love with the church: its art and history.
Vicar of St Mary’s the Reverend Becky Lumley said, “We are thrilled to have received this support from National Lottery players, and are confident that as the project begins people will be delighted to see urgent repairs on the building take place.
“We are looking forward to developing our educational opportunities and our very valuable volunteering opportunities during this project.
“St Mary’s still needs to raise significant sums of money to repair crumbling stonework… but this is an excellent start, thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund.”