PLANS to restore part of a Wirral church have been given a funding boost.
A £15,000 donation from the Garfield Weston Foundation will be used to help with the restoration of the beautiful "rose" window at St James Church in New Brighton.
Because of the exposure of the church – overlooking Liverpool Bay – the stonework of the window had been eroding and crumbling, to the point where the area around it, both inside and outside the church, has had to be cordoned off for safety.
Restoration work is now said to be 'well underway' and will cost £150,000 in total.
The Garfield Weston Foundation is a philanthropic organisation which helps to fund work on buildings described of 'important heritage'.
"It will be an invaluable contribution in helping us meet the total cost of the work, although more funds are needed. St James is a historic listed building, so we have a duty to keep it in good repair."
St James’ was designed by the eminent Victorian architect Sir George Gilbert Scott, and opened in 1856.
In the past ten years it has undergone substantial repair and restoration and Mr Wilberforce says that more will be needed in the next ten.
He said fundraising will be an ongoing major challenge, but added that it was "necessary firstly to preserve our architectural heritage, and secondly to continue providing support to the New Brighton community."
He pointed out that the church runs a foodbank, meals and activities for children during the school holidays and food packs for families.
'Welcome Wednesdays' with tea, toast and chat, are described as a popular fixture.
The church is also the home of the New Brighton Heritage and Information Centre. The grant from the Garfield Weston Foundation will help the church to remain open and keep on providing these services to the community.
St James’ was opened in 1856, having been built as an integral part of the development of New Brighton. The town’s founding fathers paid for its construction, and many of them are memorialised in the church.
The rose window is dedicated to one of New Brighton’s founding fathers, William Rowson.
The church is Grade-II listed, but is on Historic England’s 'Heritage at Risk' register, meaning it needs serious restoration and repair.
St James’ has already undergone major restoration in the last ten years.
In 2013 its 172 foot spire, said to be the tallest on Wirral, was deemed in danger of collapse, with the church at risk of closure.
A spectacular repair programme took place in which the spire was completely dismantled and rebuilt. This was made possible by a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
In the following years, other major restoration works took place – again benefitting from a major Heritage Lottery grant.
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