Hall repairs helped by £20,000 lottery grant

Lottery funding has been awarded to support urgent repairs to a historic community building.

Wappenham Village Hall, in Wappenham near Towcester, Northamptonshire, received £20,000 from The National Lottery Community Fund and will be used for structural repairs.

The village hall on School Lane was originally built in 1860 and designed by the prolific 19th Century architect Sir George Gilbert Scott. It is now a community venue.

"This funding is wonderful news for Wappenham and a real vote of confidence in our village and our Hall," said a spokesperson from the Wappenham Village Hall committee.

The hall is among a number of buildings in Wappenham designed by Sir George during his formative years, including his first - the local vicarage - which he built for his father.

Sir George went on to design and alter more than 800 buildings in his lifetime, including the Midland Grand Hotel at St Pancras Station and St Mary's Cathedral in Glasgow.

The grant will support the Save Wappenham Village Hall project, which aims to carry out repairs including stabilising gable ends and tying them into the roof structure.

It is expected to cost between £30,000 and £40,000.

According to the committee, carrying out all the repairs listed in the latest structural report - from replacing the roof with better insulation to fixing brickwork, windows and gutters - could push the total cost to between £75,000 and £100,000.

The spokesperson added: "We're incredibly grateful to The National Lottery and to everyone who has supported our campaign so far.

"Every donation, big or small, brings us closer to our overall repair target".

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