St Richard’s Church, Richmond (Photo: Historic England)
Historic England has announced grants worth over a million pounds towards the repair of three historic London churches.
The lion’s share of the funding will go to St Andrew’s Church, Thornhill Square, Islington and St Richard’s Church, Ham, Richmond, both of which will receive close to £430,000.
Over £172,000 has also been set aside for the Sunday School at Union Chapel, Islington.
All three properties are currently on the Heritage at Risk Register.
St Andrew’s will be using its grant to repair the church spire. The church dates back to the mid-19th century and has also received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund and a local charity to help repair the spire.
St Richard’s is a more recent building, being the work of the post-War Modernist architect Ralph Covell. It is believed to be the only church shaped like a Star of David.
However, this unique building is starting to show its age and is in need of structural support. At present scaffolding is being used to hold up parts of the roof and the church has been closed due to the issue.
The church will be using its grant to install additional internal propping for the roof and to build a large canopy to prevent more damage before more substantial repairs can take place. It is believed that comprehensive repairs of the structure will cost around £3 million.
Like St Andrew’s, St Richard’s has also received funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Both were awarded just shy of £250,000 each.
Renovation work at the Union Chapel’s former Sunday School began in 2024 and was aided significantly by a £2.3 million grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The additional funding from Historic England is expected to lead to the completion of the renovation project.
Tom Foxall, regional director of Historic England, said, “These three special buildings are not only beautiful historic places in need of urgent funding for repairs, but they are all essential to their local communities as important places to meet, bond, worship in, and enjoy.
“We’re proud to step in to help ensure people can continue to benefit from these magnificent spaces and take pride in the remarkable heritage on their doorstep.
“Working in partnership with The National Lottery Heritage Fund and other generous supporters means our money can go further and essential repairs are completed sooner.”
