At-risk church gets £70,000 grant for repairs

A 15th Century church tower has been awarded a grant of more than £70,000 for restoration.

Historic England awarded the money to the Grade II*-listed Old Church of St Mary and All Saints in Thundridge, near Ware, Hertfordshire.

The tower features a 12th-Century doorway and 14th-Century window.

The campaign group fighting to save the crumbling building hopes to eventually remove the church from Historic England's Heritage at Risk register.

The £72,533 grant will be matched by funding from Thundridge Old Church Action Group (TOCAG) and the Diocese of St Albans.

TOCAG ultimately wants the tower to be repaired and the area preserved for future generations.

Its chairman Dr David Blowers said the grant was "a crucial enabler for a future where the threat of demolition is removed, and the tower preserved, safe and with potential to become a remarkable community asset".

The site is historically significant as the burial place of the Reverend William Hughes, who was a Fellow of Trinity College, Cambridge, and involved in the abolition of the slave trade.

Tony Calladine, from Historic England, said: "This grant supports the commitment by local people to protect and consolidate this important historical site.

"In time it is hoped that the Old Church will become a welcoming and accessible space where people can connect with both history and nature."

The money will fund structural investigation into the church, which is currently fenced off.

The site is also believed by some to be haunted.

Ghost hunters regularly visit it, including the group Hertfordshire Paranormal, which last year took BBC Three Counties Radio breakfast presenter Andy Collins for a tour.

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