Government is to pump £41m into 74 historic churches, castles and synagogues across England in major heritage rescue
Dover Castle, whose defensive fortifications are among the historic sites set to benefit from a £41 million government fund channelled through Historic England for repairs across England.Osborne House on the Isle of Wight, one of the heritage sites in line for a share of the £41 million, with priority given to areas where fundraising is hardest.
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross announced the recipients of two new funding schemes — the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund — both delivered by Historic England. The £41m pot forms part of the wider £1.5bn Arts Everywhere Fund and targets areas where fundraising is hardest, prioritising buildings at the greatest risk of being lost. Dover Castle, Queen Victoria's Isle of Wight residence Osborne, and a 19th-century Stoke-on-Trent market hall shut since 2003 are among the beneficiaries.
Over £18m will be shared among 51 places of worship, including Birmingham Cathedral, whose tower and dome are deteriorating.
Three major national sites — Dover Castle, Brodsworth Hall in Doncaster and Osborne — will split a further £10m across the remainder of this Parliament.
Grimsby's Sir Moses Montefiore Memorial Synagogue, the last remaining synagogue in Lincolnshire and South Humberside, is also set to receive restoration funds.
