Church Appeals

Saltaire United Reformed Church, at Saltaire, near Bradford, West Yorkshire. The church has launched an ambitious appeal to raise pounds 484,000 for extensive repairs.

The maintenance of a church is primarily the responsibility of the parish and its congregation: there can be few churches in Britain that never need to raise funds; many have to seek outside help. Some dioceses will help their churches with loans, and the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, a small organisation working with the Incorporated Church Building Society, can make small grants to churches which are of historic interest and over 100 years old. The trust estimates that pounds 51,000 is the average repair bill facing churches which approach it: the average award is only about pounds 2,800. Some 1,000 applications are received a year; about 400 are helped. For further information, and about the trust's 'Friends' society, contact: HCPT, Fulham Palace, London SW6 6EA, telephone 071-736 3054.

As a Grade I listed building, Saltaire Church has been able to apply, successfully, for a grant from English Heritage. However, even if a church meets all the criteria, a grant is not always guaranteed. Last year English Heritage, which considers applications from listed churches Grades I and II*, and Grade II churches when they are in a conservation area, spent pounds 11m on grants to ecclesiastical buildings. About 71 per cent of the 490 applications for churches received last year were given grants.

Built in 1859, Saltaire Church was commissioned by Sir Titus Salt, who built Saltaire as a model village for his employees at his wool-spinning and fabric factories along the River Aire. The building is heavily Italianate: six Corinthian columns support the portico with its fretted tower and cupola. Salt employed two Italian craftsmen to work on the plaster ceiling, Corinthian columns and tinted glass panes. Much of the renovation work involves the fabric of the church - damp-proofing, drainage, the roof and masonry. For further information, contact: Peter Richardson, 15 Kirklands Close, Baildon, West Yorkshire BD17 6HN, telephone 0274 581304.

St Peter & St Paul, Wantage, Oxon. Thirteenth century; central tower and later, fine, interior work by Street and Butterfield. Appeal: pounds 60,000, for essential repairs to the tower and roof. - The Rev JL Salter, The Vicarage, Wantage, Oxon OX12 8AQ, telephone 02357 2214.

St Mary with St James, Wardleworth, Greater Manchester. Built 1911. The only church in the north of England to be designed by Sir Ninian Comper. Appeal: pounds 25,000, to restore the medieval-style interior, especially the painted and gilded ceiling. - The Rev RJ Stillman, St Edmund's Vicarage, Clement Royds Street, Rochdale OL12 6PL, telephone 0706 46272.

St Saviour's, Leeds, West Yorkshire. Built 1845. The gift of Dr Edward Pusey, a leader of the Oxford Movement, to what was and remains a poor district of Leeds. Stained glass by Pugin and William Morris. Appeal: pounds 250,000, for extensive structural work. - St Saviour's Restoration Appeal, All Saints' Vicarage, Pontefract Lane, Leeds LS9 9AE, telephone 0532 480971.

St Mary's, Flowton, Suffolk. Thirteenth century, with later additions; an unbuttressed west tower with a single bell, cast by Thomas Mears of London, in 1823. Appeal: pounds 5,000, to renew the electrical wiring. - The Treasurer, The Old Rectory, Flowton, Nr Ipswich, Suffolk IP8 4LF, telephone 0473 658710.

St Mary the Virgin, Beddington, Surrey. Fourteenth century; extensively restored in the mid-19th century, with an 1869 Lewis organ. Appeal: pounds 100,000, to build extra rooms for Sunday School and Junior Church. - The Rev S. Tillett, The Rectory, 18 Bloxworth Close, Wallington, Surrey SM6 7LW, telephone 081-647 1973.

Christ Church, Epsom Common, Surrey. Built 1876. Designed by Blomfield and extended in 1879, under the patronage of the fifth Earl of Rosebery. Noted for its Edwardian wrought-iron rood screen. Appeal: pounds 112,000, to re-order the church and build a cloister between it and the church hall. - The Rev Mark Wilson, Christ Church Vicarage, Epsom, Surrey KT19 8NE, telephone 0372 730302.

St Nicholas', North Bradley, Wiltshire. Medieval. John Stafford, the 15th-century Archbishop of Canterbury, was born in the parish. Appeal: pounds 34,000, to complete restoration of the windows and roof. - The Rev PM Potter, The Vicarage, Church Lane, North Bradley, Trowbridge, Wiltshire BA14 OTA, telephone 0225 752635.

Bandon Hill Methodist Church, Wallington, Surrey. Built 1912. Extended during the two world wars. Appeal: pounds 30,000, to modernise facilities. - The Treasurer, 17 Royston Avenue, Wallington, Surrey SM6 8HZ, telephone 081-647 8376.

St Lambert's, Burneston, North Yorkshire. Fourteenth century, with 15th-century tower; 17th-century carved oak pews; fine Victorian stained glass. Grade I listed building. Appeal: pounds 8,000, urgently needed for church steeple. - Church Appeal Office, Burneston Lodge, Church Wynd, Burneston, Bedale, North Yorkshire DL8 2JB, telephone 0845 567429.

St Mary's Cathedral, Edinburgh. Built 1870s. Designed by George Gilbert Scott. Its three spires dominate the view looking west along Princes Street. Appeal: pounds 120,000, for remedial work to the building's stone and slate. - St Mary's Cathedral Workshop, 28 Manor Place, Edinburgh EH3 7EB, telephone 031-220 2227.

St James', North Wraxall, Wiltshire. Twelfth and 13th centuries; Grade I listed building. Appeal: pounds 25,000, to re-roof the chancel. - The Rev R. Clifton, The Rectory, Colerne, Chippenham, Wiltshire SN14 8DF, telephone 0225 742742.

St Mary the Virgin, Nottingham. Mentioned in the Domesday Book but substantially rebuilt in the 14th and 15th centuries. A ballad of Robin Hood tells of him visiting St Mary's in disguise. Appeal: pounds 50,000, to complete exterior refurbishment programme. - Canon Eddie Neale, St Mary's Parish Office, Standard Hill, Nottingham NG1 6GA, telephone 0602 472476.

St John's, Tunbridge Wells, Kent. Built 1858. North and south aisles added later. Appeal: pounds 200,000, to open up the chancel, re-arrange space in the west end and other alterations. - St John's Church, 1 Amherst Road, Tunbridge Wells, Kent TN4 9LG, telephone 0892 540897.

Wesley Methodist Church, Radcliffe, Manchester. Built 1901. Large decorated sanctuary screen, murals of the life of Christ and a stained glass window in memory of those killed during the First World War. Appeal: pounds 70,000, to buy land and build a new church hall. - Mr GW White, 32 Grindsbrook Road, Radcliffe, Manchester M26 OJS, telephone 061- 797 4784.

St Mary the Virgin, Clyst St Mary, Devon. Saxon origins, but 13th century with later, mainly 19th-century, additions. Badly damaged in a fire in December 1991. Appeal: pounds 20,000, to pay for building work not covered by insurance. - Mrs L. Beattie, Ilex, Clyst St Mary, Devon EX5 1BB, telephone 0392 875708.

The Moravian Church, Pudsey, West Yorkshire. Built during the 1740s for the Moravian Church, or the United Brethren, during an evangelical revival. Appeal: pounds 150,000, to renovate church, parsonage and other affiliated buildings. - The Rev WJH McOwat, The Parsonage, 38 Fulneck, Pudsey, West Yorkshire LS28 8NT, telephone 0532 564828.

St Mary the Virgin, Bishopsbourne, Kent. Thirteenth century with 14th- and 15th-century additions. Richard Hooker, who wrote Laws of Ecclesiastical Polity while Rector of Bishopsbourne, is buried in the churchyard. Stained-glass west window by Burne-Jones. Appeal: pounds 25,000, to conserve 14th-century wall paintings, to eradicate beetle infestation and for heating. - The Rev AA Duke, The Rectory, The Street, Barham, Canterbury, Kent CT4 6PA, telephone 0227 831340.

St John the Evangelist, Birtley, Co Durham. Built 1846, in Romanesque style. Two Pre-Raphaelite stained-glass windows. Appeal: pounds 140,000, to repair organ and roof, to rewire and upgrade the heating system. - Mrs E. Forrester, 14 Queensmere, Chester le Street, Co Durham DH3 4DA, telephone 091-388 4689.

St Thomas the Apostle and St Thomas of Canterbury, Newport, Isle of Wight. Built 1854 on the site of the demolished medieval church, dedicated to St Thomas a Becket. Prince Albert laid the foundation stone. Princess Elizabeth, the fourth child of Charles I, was buried at the church in 1650, after dying of a chill, aged 14. Appeal: pounds 478,000, for a three-part refurbishment project. - Mr E. Cousins, Appeal Treasurer, 54 Avondale Road, Newport, Isle of Wight PO30 1HE, telephone 0983 523350.

St John the Baptist, Newcastle upon Tyne. Twelfth century with later additions. Grade I listed. Famed as the cradle of the parish communion movement of the 1960s. Appeal: pounds 80,000, for masonry and roof repairs, and rebuilding the organ. - St John the Baptist's Appeal, Grainger Street, Newcastle upon Tyne NE1 5JG, telephone 091-232 0483.

St Wystan, Repton, Derbyshire. Eighth-century crypt with ninth-century pillars and vaulting; 14th-century nave, tower and spire with 15th-century roof and clerestory. The crypt was built as a mausoleum for the Mercian kings. Appeal: pounds 100,000, for restoration of crypt, spire, bells and organ. - The Rev Julian Barker, Repton Vicarage, Derby DE65 6FH, telephone 0283 703317.

Holy Trinity Church, Bungay, Suffolk. Eleventh-century tower (originally a Saxon watch- tower) and north aisle, 14th-century south aisle. Appeal: pounds 250,000, for a four-phase restoration programme - starting with urgent repairs to the south-aisle roof, a new heating system and complete rewiring. - Terry Reeve, Teazles, 123a Beccles Road, Bungay, Suffolk NR35 1HX, telephone 0986 894842.

Cartmel Priory, Cartmel, Cumbria. Founded c1189 as an Augustinian priory by William Marshal, Earl of Pembroke. 'The Cathedral of the Lakes'. Appeal: pounds 250,000, as a permanent endowment fund. - The Rev Christopher Atkinson, Cartmel Priory Trust Fund, Cartmel, Grange-over-Sands, Cumbria LA11 6PU, telephone 05395 36261.

Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Berkshire. Built 1903, but not completed. A Benedictine community. Appeal: pounds 150,000, to complete replacement of the temporary west wall and finish the building. - Dom Godfric Timney, Douai Abbey, Upper Woolhampton, Reading, Berkshire RG7 5TH, telephone 0734 712735.

St Mary's, Sidlesham, West Sussex. Thirteenth century. Appeal: pounds 25,000, to repair the church roof, badly affected by 'nail sickness', in which the tile fixings have been eroded by salt off the sea and buffeted by the wind. - Air Commodore MJ Allisstone, The Old Cottage, Church Lane, Sidlesham, Chichester, West Sussex PO20 7RH, telephone 0243 641744.

Tewkesbury Abbey, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Norman, with medieval tombs. One of the largest parish churches in Britain.

Appeal: pounds 2m, to restore the eastern chapel roofs and Abbey Halls and to repair the 'Milton' organ (pipework dating from the 1620s). - The Rev M. Tavinor, Abbey Appeal Office, Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 5SR, telephone 0684 850959.

Holy Trinity, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire. Twelfth century with later additions. Appeal: pounds 50,000, to replace the roof and for vital repairs. - The Chairman of the Appeal, 26 Palairet Close, Southway Park, Bradford-on-Avon, Wiltshire BA15 1US, telephone 0225 864242.

St Richard's, Eastbourne, East Sussex. Built 1957 as a church and community centre, extended and now used exclusively as a church. Appeal: pounds 30,000, to rebuild the porch and cloister, damaged in the gales of 1987. - Mr RJ Devenish, 24 Blakes Way, Eastbourne, East Sussex BN23 6EN, telephone 0323 410570.

St Peter and St Paul, Kedington, Suffolk. Medieval, largely unchanged since the 14th century. Grade I listed:. 'the Westminster Abbey of East Anglia'. Appeal: pounds 180,000, to remedy severe cracking in the tower and for major restoration. - Victoria Blick, The White House, Silver Street, Kedington, Suffolk CB9 7QG, telephone 0440 707731.

Torphichen Kirk, Torphichen, West Lothian. Built 1750-56, on the site of a former Knights of St John church. Here, when it was a hospital, Edward I was treated for an injury; and an early Scottish parliament was held under William Wallace. Laird's loft, boxed pews and original pulpit. Appeal: pounds 40,000, for vital internal building repairs. - Donald Macaskill, The Manse, Torphichen, West Lothian EH48 4LT, telephone 0506 52794.

St Martin of Tours, Epsom, Surrey. Built 1825, on a site where a church has stood for 1,300 years. Appeal: pounds 250,000, to renew the roof, and for rewiring and redecoration. - Mr Ken Stevens, Drovers, Crampshaw Lane, Ashtead, Surrey KT21 2UF, telephone 0372 277841.

St Lawrence, Ridgewell, Essex. Twelfth century with later additions; 15th-century tower with five late medieval bells. Appeal: pounds 15,000, to restore two chiming bells and the church clock. - The Rev Michael Hewitt, The Rectory, Church Lane, Ridgewell, Essex CO9 4SA, telephone 0440 85355.

Thurso Congregational Church, Thurso, Caithness. Built 1875. The most northerly Congregational church on the British mainland, battered by gales from the Atlantic and the North Sea. Used by forces personnel, travelling to and from Scapa Flow in Orkney, in both world wars. Appeal: pounds 26,000, for roof repairs. - The Rev J. Arthur, 16 Granville Crescent, Thurso, Caithness KW14 7NP, telephone 0847 63389.

Wimborne Minster, Wimborne, Dorset. Twelfth century with later additions: the present building mainly 14th century. Appeal: pounds 100,000, to renew roofs, stonework and windows. - Wimborne Minster Preservation Trust, Church House, High Street, Wimborne, Dorset BH21 1HT, telephone 0202 884753.

St Peter's, Harborne, Birmingham. Fourteenth century with medieval tower; mentioned in the Domesday Book. Appeal: pounds 60,000, to reorder the sanctuary, rewire and decorate the interior. - The Rev CJ Evans, Harborne Vicarage, Old Church Road, Birmingham B17 0BB, telephone 021-427 1949.

Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Northampton. Twelfth century with later additions. Built by Simon de Senlis, Earl of Northampton, as an offering of thanks for his safe return from the first crusades. One of four remaining round churches in the UK. Appeal: pounds 500,000, to restore weathered and polluted fabric. - Mr MJ Kightley, Trustee, 22 Lyncrest Avenue, Northampton NN5 5PE, telephone 0604 754782.

LONDON

The Benedictine Monastery of Christ the King, Cockfosters. Founded 1936. Accommodates 11 resident monks, committed to ecumenism and co-operation with lay-people. Appeal: pounds 850,000, to build a small monastery beside the church, for which planning permission has been granted. - Dom Placid Meylink OSB, Monastery of Christ the King, 29 Bramley Road, Southgate, London N14 4HE, telephone 081-449 6648.

St Mary's, Islington. Built 1754. Steeple destroyed by bombing in 1940. Strong evangelical tradition: John and Charles Wesley preached here; Archbishops Donald Coggan and George Carey both served here as curates. Appeal: pounds 4,500, to install fans and carpeting in the crypt, where the St Mary's Project offers meals and advice to the homeless. - Prebendary Graham Claydon, St Mary's Vicarage, Upper Street, London N1 2TX, telephone 071-354 3427.

St George's, Campden Hill. Built 1864. Designed by Enoch Basset Keeling in 'eclectic Gothic' style; seats 1,200. Appeal: pounds 250,000, to redevelop the interior to provide space for groups and organisations in the local community. - The Hon Treasurer, St George's Redevelopment Appeal, PO Box 2329, London W8 6ZQ, telephone 071-937 8944.

St John the Divine, Kennington. Built 1865. Designed by George Edmund Street. Grade I listed; 'the most magnificent church in south London' (Betjeman). Appeal: pounds 148,250, to restore the 200ft spire and tower. - The Appeals Co-ordinator, 92 Vassall Road, London SW9 6JA, telephone 071-735 7630.

St Mary-the-Boltons, South Kensington. Consecrated 1850. Designed by George Godwin. The spire, with its 'black' angels, is a local landmark. Appeal: pounds 15,000, to overhaul and restore the Compton organ. - Mr S. Gibson, Flat 3, 221 North End Road, London W14 9NP, telephone 071-385 7518.

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