Beloved Aspley Guise church saved from at risk register thanks to grant for urgent repairs

Problems with the tower at St Botolph’s Church in Aspley Guise are so urgent that it looked set to land on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register

But now it has been given a slice of a £584k fund from the National Churches Trust.

All four faces of the tower need work as well as the roof; stones are crumbling, the old mortar is loose and there is a risk of falling masonry.

The tower houses six bells, which were cast in 1883 and a clock, which is believed to date back to the 16th century.

The Grade II Listed building is not just used for worship, but as a space for the community to use and gather during the week too.

The free community cafe provides cake, soup and a hot drink for residents, while the congregation also collects gifts for the food bank and women’s refuge. There are concerts, exhibitions and musical recordings too.

The church will receive a £10,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation, thanks to a recommendation from the trust, which will make the tower safe again.

Liz Armitage, churchwarden at St Botolph’s said: “We are so very grateful to The Wolfson Foundation and the National Churches Trust for their support for our project.

"We are a small village church community and the increasing costs of maintaining our historic church makes it difficult to raise enough money for much needed repairs.

“This grant makes a huge contribution to our project, and it will enable us to proceed with the repairs to keep our church tower safe for the next 100 years.”

Claire Walker, chief executive of the National Churches Trust, said:   "The National Churches Trust is delighted to be able to support St Botolph’s to enable them to carry out urgent repairs to their beautiful building. Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people.” 

Paul Ramsbottom, chief executive of the Wolfson Foundation, added:  "Churches have a crucial role as places of worship – but they also serve as integral parts of our communities, and not least as custodians of heritage. We

are pleased to continue our partnership with the National Churches Trust to help safeguard these important, beautiful buildings for future generations."

This grant will help fix the crumbling tower through repointing work, rebuilding the roof gutters and replacing the lead sheet roof. This will all help make the tower safe again and watertight once more.

St Botolph’s Church is one of the oldest in the district – with parts of it dating back to the 14th century, including its font and a monument tomb to Sir William Tyrington, guardian to Anselm de Gyse II, a local lord of the manor.

There are nine impressive stained glass windows inside the church, and two additional windows with some remnants of stained glass in them. These date back to the mid-19th century and early 20th century – and some of them are linked to the prestigious Kempe Studio, which produced some of the most remarkable and influential Late Victorian and Edwardian church art.

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