Hull Minster has received a £20,000 National Churches Trust Grant to help fund a project to pay for urgent repairs to clerestory windows including to stonework and associated glazing.
The church also receives a £2,000 National Churches Trust Micro-Grant in partnership with the Cinnamon Network micro-grant to help set up a Cinnamon Network recognised social action project to help local people.
The church is one of 70 churches and chapels in England, Wales and Scotland that are set to benefit from rescue funding of £522,241 from the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church support charity.
Huw Edwards, Broadcaster and Journalist and Vice-President of the National Churches Trust said “I’m delighted that Hull Minster is to be saved for the future with the help of a £20,000 National Churches Trust Repair Grant. This will ensure that this magnificent church, bursting with history, can be repaired so that it can become even more valuable to the people and city of Hull.”
The project
During a recent survey of the roof to investigate water ingress into the nave at Hull Minster it became apparent that a major problem was the deteriorating stonework around the clerestory windows and associated glazing. In recent years volunteers have commented that putting out up to 40 buckets to catch water takes them away from welcoming visitors and the building feels cold and damp. Securing the clerestory windows will reduce the need to put out buckets and help deal with the damp atmosphere.
The work is part of a wider project to transform the building to enable it to welcome more people to use the church and improve worship.
By attracting people to Hull Minster the church aims to be a catalyst for economic regeneration in Hull’s Old Town (situated in the 3rd most deprived local authority in England - out of 326) which will ultimately create more jobs. Event organisers will have a high quality, medium sized, unique venue to put on events in a central location which has the facilities and flexibility to meet their needs.
Canon Rev Dr Neal Barnes, Vicar of Hull Minster said "We are very grateful to the National Churches Trust for this generous grant towards vital repair work on the stonework around the clerestory windows at Hull Minster, ensuring that they are watertight and fit for purpose for many years to come. This is a key part of our on-going £4.5M project to repair, reorder and improve facilities within the Minster to improve worship, safeguard our heritage and enable events that welcome in the whole community. It will help us to conserve what is arguably Hull's most significant historical building for generations to come and allow them to enjoy all that it has to offer."