Liverpool Cathedral given a helping hand through Culture Recovery Fund
Liverpool Cathedral is one of the 142 heritage sites across England that will benefit from grants worth £35 million as part of the government's Culture Recovery Fund.
The Cathedral has secured £92,966 of the fund, which is 80% of the funding required to work on vital repairs for our marble floor, rooves, windows, and East End turret. The fund is administered on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media, and Sport by Historic England, and will help to bring heritage sites across the country back to life by paying for vital repairs and major building programmes.
The money, which comes from the government's £2 billion Culture Recovery Fund is intended to open up heritage and the benefits it brings to everyone.
Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive, said:
“Funding from the government’s Culture Recovery Fund is hugely welcome at a time when the people and organisations who look after our vast and varied array of heritage urgently need support to carry out essential repairs. Heritage is a fragile eco-system, with an amazing cast of characters who keep our historic places alive, with specialist skills that take time to learn and experience to perfect. These grants will protect their livelihoods, as they use their expertise to help our heritage survive.”
The Very Revd Dr Sue Jones, Dean of Liverpool added.
“It feels particularly timely that this wonderful news comes as we start looking towards Advent, as one of the windows we will repairing is our Nativity Window. We are thankful for this lifeline from the government that has enabled us to invest in our awe inspiring building.
We are always mindful that we were built by the people, for the people and we want this grant to continue to help us serve Liverpool through being a catalyst for other investment, a place to attract people to the city and a spiritual and cultural focus for the city.”
Money from the Heritage Stimulus Fund will also keep our nationally and internationally significant heritage assets in good condition and sustain the skilled craft workforce that looks after them.
The latest £35 million funding builds on £52 million already allocated from the first round of the Heritage Stimulus Fund, which has supported works at 800 of the country’s treasured heritage assets. This includes Blackpool’s iconic Tower Ballroom, the stunning Georgian landscape at Gibside in Gateshead and the tranquil Thornton-le-Beans Chapel in North Yorkshire.
None of these historic places would have been able to carry out crucial repair work during the pandemic without this support.