WWI Fund saved Lichfield Cathedral
At Lichfield Cathedral, the grants allowed for emergency rewiring and essential lighting improvements, as well as repairs to the cathedral’s unique medieval two-storey Chapter House, which dates from 1195.
The Dean of Lichfield, Adrian Dorber, said: “Prior to the work, Lichfield Cathedral was at a critical point.
“The electrics had degraded to the point where they were no longer safe, and the cathedral was beginning to struggle to function.
“This timely funding has not only reversed the immediate risks, but also given a boost for some of the funding to be matched locally, resulting in new lighting which greatly enhances the beauty of this building, as well as reducing our energy consumption.
“This all adds up to the First World War Centenary Repair Fund helping the cathedral to be a safe and welcoming environment for all visitors and worshippers, including those attending commemorations in the autumn, which has been very welcome, ”he added.
The £40 million First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, launched by the Government in 2014, invited applications from Catholic and Church of England cathedrals to address urgent repair works. The fund prioritised making buildings weatherproof, safe and open to the public as well as ensuring they would be in a safe condition to host acts of remembrance for the centenary of the First World War armistice in 2018.
During the four years of the centenary Lichfield Cathedral has hosted a series of First World War events including art exhibitions, music events and acts of worship; it has commissioned a new icon and is currently running a year long programme of worship, art and music especially for the Armistice, called Imagine Peace. Next month sees the launch of its Great Exhibition, at the heart of which is an immersive peace woodland created from 1,918 trees situated in front of the Cathedral – the trees will become a permanent Peace Woodland in nearby Beacon Park early next year.
Lichfield received a total of £1,490,000 – this included £800,000 on rewiring and lighting and £690,000 for the stonework and roof repair on the Chapter House.
In total, 146 awards were made to 57 cathedrals. Twelve cathedrals were awarded more than £1 million each, and the average award was £274,000.
Today’s independent report shows a significant reduction of problems requiring immediate repair as a result of the investment but warned that recipients all had outstanding repairs in areas not covered by the scheme.
The report concluded that the fund had been successful in achieving its aims and met a funding need that could not be met elsewhere, adding that areas of cathedrals covered by grant-aided projects had been very largely changed from needing urgent repair to needing routine maintenance only.