London Anglican Church to Receive Grant to Prevent Demolition

The Anglican Church of St Mary in Somers Town, northwest London, will receive £639,000 from Historic England to carry out urgent repair work. The church, a Grade II listed building, is in a very poor condition and has been under threat of demolition. This was reported by BBC.

The funds will be used to restore the west façade of the Gothic-style building. In December 2023, the cost of fully restoring the church was estimated at £1.7 million, and due to a lack of funding, local authorities considered the possibility of demolishing it.

Historic England stated that the grant will enable the church’s administrators to continue seeking additional funding for the restoration of the remaining parts of the structure. Representatives of the organization emphasized that the assistance is provided through the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, which totals £15 million and is distributed among 37 sites in England that are at risk of decline or destruction.

The fund prioritizes sites that serve disadvantaged communities and provide local benefits — from creating jobs to hosting cultural events.

Earlier, we reported that in the town of Shipley in northern England, the Anglican Church of St Peter found an unusual way to attract new parishioners — by hosting professional wrestling shows. The idea came from 37-year-old Gareth Thompson, who believes that wrestling and Christianity have much in common.