£64,500 CONSERVATION GRANT

Derby City Council’s Cabinet approved a £64,500 Townscape Heritage Initiative grant for the repair of part of a disused Derby church, subject to approval by the Heritage Lottery Fund. The grant would be for the 17th Century tower and chancel (now a chapel) of St Werburgh’s Church, Cheapside. The Derbyshire sandstone tower would be repaired and a historic chapel window reinstated, using traditional materials and building techniques.

The Grade B-listed (the ecclesiastical equivalent of Grade II*-listed) tower and chapel are owned by The Churches Conservation Trust and are open to the public on request. The main body of this church in the Friar Gate Conservation Area was completely rebuilt in the late 19th Century and would not be covered by the grant. The Townscape Heritage Initiative, funded with a total of £1.5 million from Derby City Council and the Heritage Lottery Fund, provides grants towards the repair, restoration and reuse of historic buildings in a specified area of Derby city centre.

Mike Kaye, Assistant Director - Development, said, “St Werburgh’s is perhaps best known as the church where the famous 18th Century writer, Dr Samuel Johnson, was married, and, of course, many Derby citizens were married there, too. These repairs will allow the historic interest, as well as the special character, of the tower and chapel to be safeguarded. The approval of another THI application is great news for the scheme and for the city. I believe it is making a real difference to our city, helping us to restore and retain many of the buildings that are so important to its history.”