£ 3/4 million grant announced for Maidenhead Parish Church
English Heritage, the national body charged with oversight of our most important historic buildings, has announced a grant award of £ 3/4 million to All Saints Church Boyne Hill in Maidenhead. The Grant is for a major restoration project due to cost in excess of £1 Million. The funding is required to correct serious decay in the tower masonry and brickwork, which has already resulted in masonry falling from the tower. Whilst temporary cladding has made the tower safe in the short-term, detailed restoration is required to safeguard the future of the tower and spire.
All Saints Church is a major work of the Victorian church-building era, built in 1857 and being one of the most important buildings of the celebrated architect George Edward Street (perhaps best known as the designer of the Law Courts in central London) Street was a major church architect and was particularly active in the Diocese of Oxford. The Victorian stained glass and other fittings of the church contribute towards making All Saints one of Streets most important and original churches.
The church was designed by Street as part of a complex of buildings including clergy houses, a school room and almshouses - all of which can still be seen today, just off Boyne Hill Road, built around a quadrangle reminiscient of an Oxford college.
The present vicar of All Saints, Fr Jeremy Harris, said,
"We are very fortunate to have this magnificent church building in Maidenhead - one of only two structures in the town to attract Grade 1 listing, the other being Maidenhead bridge. It provides a magnificent setting for our regular worship, but is also of huge interest to historians of the Victorian era, and to those interested in the art and architecture of those times. The setting of the church are a symbol of the Victorian ideal of the parish church as being involved in the whole of life, from the education of the young, pastoral support of all ages, through to the care of the elderly - ideals which we still see in the activity of the church of All Saints today. 2007 sees us celebrate the 150th anniversary of the church at All Saints, and this will be marked by a programme of special events and services. We also run regular Alpha and Emmaus courses to help people understand what the Christian faith is all about, and the alpha courses in particular attract many people from beyond our immediate congregation."
Recognising the artistic and architectural interest of the church - as well as the desire that many people have to find a "quiet space" for thought and reflection - All Saints church will be open on every Sunday afternoon throughout 2007 for people to visit, explore, and for quiet prayer and meditation. A new and updated tour guide to the church has been produced for 2007.
Fr Jeremy continued:
The English Heritage grant has been awarded "in principle" whilst detailed costings and specifications are drawn up for the work. This grant will provide the majority of the funding required, and is a marvellous start to our fund raising for this project. The balance - still a considerable sum for a parish church to find - will now be the subject to further fundraising. Whilst there are a number of trusts and charities which specifically support the maintenance of important church buildings, and we shall be approaching them for help, we are sure that the local community and businesses with a presence in the area will also wish to be associated with this major project.