St Catherine’s Church in Barmby Moor, Yorkshire is the latest historically important church to receive lottery money for its preservation. Following a cash boost from the Heritage Lottery Fund, the Grade II listed building will now benefit from a series of improvements to the roof and the walls. It will initially receive a grant of £16,600 that will enable the managers of the historic church to apply for a full grant of around £183,000 within the next two years. This is significant as the church has passed the HLF criterion to deliver “significant benefit” to the community or the country.
Keith Laverack [CC BY-SA 2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons
About St Catherine’s Church
Significant damage to the roof and walls have led to the damage of several historic paintings. The money will help protect the fabric of the church and the artefacts within its walls. Some of the money for St Catherine’s Church will also go towards putting together “history packs” for visitors and children to learn about the fascinating history of the building. The nave and main body of the church date to the 1850s but the tower and spire are medieval. Places of worship do not usually get lottery money unless they can provide evidence of significant benefit to the community.
Locals, Christians and non-Christians alike cherish the history of St Catherine’s Church and state that many groups use its facilities such as the hall. The HLF was satisfied of its importance to the village, particularly its historic importance. The programme of restoration will commence on 30th June and an architect in charge of the work has already been appointed. The church is also important for a piece of World War II history. 102 Squadron, part of Bomber Command, was stationed on a field nearby. Memorials to the men killed on bombing raids are within the church and its grounds.