Cathedral Centenary War Repair Fund helps conserve Chester Cathedral

Essential conservation work has begun on the fabric of the ancient Chester Cathedral.

In 2014, Chester Cathedral became one of 31 English cathedrals to be awarded a grant as part of the £8.3 million First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund.

This award provided a once in a generation opportunity to re-lay the Cloister Roof and to reset the decorative pinnacles added to the cathedral by the esteemed cathedral architect Sir George Gilbert Scott.

The grant was received through the kind support of the Church Commissioners and Central Government through two of the three rounds of the Cathedral Centenary War Repair Fund committed during the 2014 budget.

More urgent repairs will be able to be made to 24 Church of England and seven Catholic cathedrals thanks to the announcement of £6.9 million in grants from the government-sponsored fund set up to support vital repairs to some of England’s most important historic buildings.

Chester Cathedral is using the £274,752 of funding they secured through a competitive application process to undertake urgent relaying and drainage work.

This Pinnacle and Cloister project has been designed by cathedral Architect Tony Barton of Donald Insall Associates and the contract for the works was awarded to Grosvenor Construction following a competitive tender process.

The Church of England's 42 cathedrals are estimated to contribute around £220 million to the national economy every year through employment and tourism. They welcome more than 11 million visitors annually, employ more than 7,000 people and are supported by more than 15,000 dedicated volunteers.

Neil Tunks, Chester Cathedral’s managing agent said: “Chester Cathedral gives back to the community and economy through it’s multiple enterprise undertakings including The Gift Shop, The Refectory Café, Chester Cathedral Estate, events, exhibitions and more. It is wonderful to have our prominence within the community recognized and invested in.”

The necessary works have little impact on the use of the building although visually there is a lot of scaffolding.

The projected timeline for this project is seven months, finishing in March 2016.