A DCMS Culture Recovery fund grant of £93,850 has been awarded to Southwark Cathedral for urgent repair and conservation works to the historic building

We are delighted to have been awarded this grant – allocated by the Church of England and distributed by Historic England – which is part of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund from the Government aimed at helping organisations through the difficult circumstances present because of the coronavirus pandemic.

The grant will be used to fund essential repairs to the heating system, repairs to the north transept floor, and conservation of medieval masonry in the nave. The Cathedral’s heating system requires repair to provide a sustainable heating solution for the long term, whilst conservation of the north transept floor and medieval masonry in the nave will address the deteriorating fabric of the Cathedral and help to preserve the building for future generations, also enabling safe mobility around the site and giving scope for increased visitor interpretation opportunities.

These funded projects will vastly benefit the fabric and the visitor experience at the Cathedral as we look to bounce back from the Covid-19 pandemic (in addition to the congregation, c. 200,000 visitors visit the Cathedral each year).

This work would not have been possible without this one-off grant, which will help to safeguard Southwark Cathedral for future generations. The project is scheduled for completion by March 2021.