Historic church to close for repairs

Buy photos » St Lawrence Church will close for four months while work to restore it is carried out. Picture by Andy Marshall.

ONE OF Evesham's most historic buildings is set to close next month to undergo major repair work.

St Lawrence Church has been granted £200,000 by The Churches Conservation Trust - a national charity which protects historic churches at risk.

The work will see the church's south aisle given a new roof and major repairs to the high level parapets, pinnacles and chimney.

Repairs will also be made to the stone tracery of the clerestory windows and there will be work to conserve the glazing, leading and ironwork of the building's windows.

The project, which is being carried out by John Groom Architects, should be completed by next March. Although the church will be closed for the duration of the conservation work, a series of free public open days are planned so residents can view the work as it progresses and learn more about the building.

Project manager Gabriella Misuriello from The Churches Conservation Trust said: "The Churches Conservation Trust is committed to protecting historic churches at risk.

In order to conserve St Lawrence’s distinct interior the CCT has ring-fenced £200,000 to carry out important repairs this winter.

This will allow St Lawrence to continue to play a role as an important Evesham tourist attraction as well as providing potential for the stunning building to be used as a vibrant community space in the future."

Joanna Cross, volunteer co-ordinator for the CCT at St Lawrence Church, added: "While it’s necessary to close St Lawrence Church to the public while work is underway, the church is a significant community building and it’s important to ensure local people are able to use it. We would therefore like to invite local residents, and everyone interested in England’s historic buildings, to see the repair work in progress at one of our free open days on Saturday, December 15 or Saturday, February 9 between 11am and 2pm.”

There will also be a grand re-opening of the building in April 2013 once work is completed.

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