Lincoln Cathedral to benefit from major government grant
Lincoln has been listed as one of the 24 Church of England and Roman Catholic Cathedral’s to be awarded funding in the final round of First World War’s Centenary Commemoration Fund. The £38,000 funding will be used to carry out urgent repairs to the Cathedral’s pinnacles which will extend the life of the structures for a further 25 years until we can commence the conservation of the towers themselves.
Once the tallest building in the world, Lincoln Cathedral’s twelve pinnacles sit on the top of three towers. Lincoln Cathedral sits on the top of the hill as a beacon for the city and the county; due to their position the pinnacles have to be resilient to all the elements that Lincolnshire weather throws at them. The Cathedral’s pinnacles find themselves wedged into the stone at the top of the towers and rely on the support of gravity and the weight of the lead, which they are topped with, to hold themselves in place.
The Subdean, The Reverend Canon John Patrick said: ‘The Cathedral Works Department manage to maintain the building and keep it looking its best despite daily challenges.
‘Chapter is proud of our skilled workforce and extremely grateful for the continued support of the First World War Centenary Commemoration Fund, which contributes and supports the continuation of essential work to this wonderful Cathedral. All the work we do ensures this vibrant and joyful centre of worship and mission continues.
‘This is the fourth tranche of funding we have received from this fund over the last 3 years and the amount received totals £707,000, a further £518,000 has been awarded. The fund has supported essential repairs to the North West Turret, due to be completed in February 2017 and the North West Transept and St Hugh’s Choir Triforium works which will be on-going until the summer of 2017.’
Carol Heidschuster, Works Manager added: ‘Funding for specific projects is getting harder and harder to come across and so we are incredibly thankful for the support from this fund. Lincoln Cathedral is the only Cathedral in England to be on the Heritage England ‘At Risk’ register and it is our job to protect and safeguard it for the future.
‘The twelve pinnacles which sit at the top of the three towers present several hurdles for us; access being one of them. After a lengthy process of surveying the pinnacles it was established that restoration work was necessary. This release of funds enables this work to be completed.
‘Repairs to the leadwork and stabilisation of the timber structure will ensure they last until we can commence the huge task of conservation of the Towers in the future. 25 years may seem a long way off, but in Cathedral terms it is a mere blink of an eye. This funding will enable us to complete this essential work.’
