WORCESTER Cathedral has received a welcome funding boost towards the renovation of its main gateway.
The Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England has offered a grant of £69,500 to help overhaul Edgar Tower, with work expected to begin in the summer of 2014.
Repairs will take place on the south side of the Cathedral precinct after stonework was found to be seriously worn down and eroded, leaving it in a very poor condition.
Nick Drew, the cathedral’s director of fund-raising, said: “We’re obviously delighted and very grateful to the CFCE for their generous support.
“However, this grant only takes us part of the way to the total we will need for this project, so we will be exploring other avenues to find the remainder of the money that we need.”
The majority of the renovation will be undertaken by the Cathedral’s own stonemasons, who will use the same authentic stone as was originally used, which will ensure no further work is needed on Edgar Tower for at least 50 years.
The Dean of Worcester, the Very Reverend Peter Atkinson, said: “This grant is wonderful news for the Cathedral.
“The work on Edgar Tower is one of the last remaining significant repair projects after the completion of the Cathedral’s major restoration programme in 2011.
“It is vital, both in terms of the historic significance of the tower, and in terms of keeping one of our main entrances open to the public.”
