LONDON, UK.- English Heritage announced £1 million of grants for repairs to cathedrals. This is the fifteenth round of grants since English Heritage’s Cathedral Grants scheme was launched in 1991 when a survey revealed that England ’s 61 cathedrals were suffering greatly from the ravages of time. Since then the scheme has contributed a grand total of £40.8 million towards the repair of some of England ’s greatest buildings, ensuring that none of our cathedrals are at risk. The emphasis this year is on grants for smaller or cyclical repairs such as re-leading windows and masonry conservation which are essential to the long-term maintenance of the building. Grants have also been offered for improvements to access, lighting and fire detection systems.

The largest five grants offers of between £50,000 and £100,000 go to the cathedrals of Coventry , Hereford , Lincoln , Ripon and Salisbury . Coventry Cathedral has been offered £94,000 for the first phase of an urgent programme to replace the original copper covering to the main roof of the new Cathedral which has begun to leak. Built by Basil Spence between 1956 and 1962, the new Cathedral stands at right angles to the ruins of the old, which was destroyed by the Luftwaffe in 1940. Over the years the copper roof has reacted to atmospheric pollution and eroded. It is hoped that the new copper will last for at least another 50 years.

This grant brings the total amount offered by English Heritage to Coventry Cathedral since 1991 up to £454,000. This includes £38,000 for the replacement of surface water drains in the ruins, £94,000 for the conservation of the ruins’ stonework, £43,000 for a fire alarm/detection system following a fire in 2001, £66,000 for health and safety measures, and £64,000 for the investigation and repair of the concrete canopy of St Michael’s Porch.

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Cathedrals form the architectural centrepiece of our ecclesiastical heritage and, as Heritage Counts 2004 illustrated, make an important economic and social contribution to the nation. It is vital that their futures are safeguarded and I am proud that even against the difficult backdrop of ever-decreasing government funds, English Heritage has renewed its financial commitment this year to these great buildings.”

Richard Halsey, Head of the Cathedrals Team at English Heritage, said: “As in previous years, we are giving cathedrals five months notice of their grant offers, so that they can start to plan their repairs now and complete them before the end of the financial year in March 2006. Major repairs and conservation work, especially in heavily used buildings like cathedrals, requires careful and detailed planning before work starts; our grants for conservation plans and building surveys are also key contributions to the creation of realistic work plans. I would like to congratulate the architects, contractors and craftsmen who work with us to achieve their projects against tight timetables and to such high standards.”