Old buildings across South West to get £5m boost
Torbay CouncilA number of historical buildings and churches across the South West are set to benefit from repair and renovation as part of a £5million funding boost.
A total of 17 heritage buildings and listed places of worship in the South West will receive the support from Historic England's Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Funds.
They include the Church of St Elwyn in Hayle, Cornwall, the Church of St Matthias in Plymouth and the vacant Grade II-listed Oldway Mansion in Torbay.
Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said the funding meant buildings "that fill our hometowns with character will be keeping the doors open to communities for years to come".
The Church of St Elwyn in Hayle will undergo "significant repointing and masonry repairs to prevent water penetration," according to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.
The building will also benefit from new rainwater systems as well as restored interior decorations and building fabric.
In Plymouth, the city's deteriorating neo-Gothic Church of St Matthias will receive roof and stonework repairs, protecting the fabric of the building, the department said.
In Torbay, Oldway Mansion - which was designed to imitate the Palace of Versailles but is now vacant - will receive a boost in funding from the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund.
This will go towards stabilizing the building's structure, alongside protective works across its site and parkland.
Other buildings due to receive funding in Devon include Church of St Mary the Virgin in Brixham, the Parish Church of All Saints in Torre, Parish Church of St John the Baptist in Paignton and The Moor Imagination Centre at Buckfastleigh Methodist Church.
The Primitive Methodist Church in St Ives, the Parish Church of St Martin in Liskeard and Wesley Methodist Church in Launceston are among those set to receive funding in Cornwall.
Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta, co-ceos of Historic England, said historic places are "at the heart of communities across England," helping to "shape the character and identity of the places we live, work and visit".
She added: "These grants will support historic buildings and places of worship that face significant repair and conservation needs."
