A major restoration programme will start in the New Year at an Essex round tower church.
A grant of about £330,000 will help to secure the tower at South Ockendon Church thanks to the Heritage Lottery Fund, it was confirmed on the feast day of St Nicholas – Friday, December 5.
Project manager Demus Lee, who attended a meeting with the church architect Margaret Davies and HLF officials, was delighted that the project can now start in earnest. “It is tremendous news and means so much for our church and the community,” he added,
The Heritage Lottery Fund had provisionally indicated backing for plans by St Nicholas of Myra Church to safeguard the tower, carry out other urgent repairs and implement several community-backed proposals.
When officers of the Round Tower Churches Society visited the church in July, they were briefed on encouraging news of potential HLF funding, which could amount to circa £330,000, including some £40,000 for a range of community projects.
The Society responded with the largest-ever grant in its 50-year history with an award of £7,500 towards the cost of scaffolding to prevent collapse of the tower in October 2023. Since then, the Garfield Weston Foundation awarded £20,000 and the Friends of Essex Churches contributed £10,000.
Mr Lee said that the Society’s help had been critical at a time when church funds were disastrously low. “We’re deeply grateful for the Society’s support. The immediate response led, quickly, to other generous donations,” he added,
St Nicholas of Myra, which stands on the south side of the village green, has a four-storey round tower probably dating from the middle of the 13th century. In 1744, the western part of the tower collapsed and was re-built.
The architect, Margaret Davies, of MRDA, of Hammersmith, said that it had then been possible to inspect the tower, which was deemed at serious risk and a series of serious cracks were visible.
As reported in the September edition of The Round Tower, six tonnes of pigeon muck had to be removed from the upper levels of the tower, which cost some £20,000. The latest quinquennial inspection of St Nicholas had identified areas of the church needing significant repairs, notably the north aisle containing the Saltonstall memorial.
However, when as the 56ft high tower had rapidly deteriorated – evidenced by large falling flints – and the potential danger to the public, conservation priorities dictated an urgent change of tack. It was then possible to assess the extent of the internal cracking, which has been partly caused by the use of excessively strong mortar. Further, water damage had aggravated the problems.
Mrs Davies said that the original asphalt tower roof had failed and water had rotted the main wooden beams, which now had to be replaced. This is likely to start in January – ahead of the March 31 ending of the government’s VAT reclaim concession for listed places of worship.
Advance notice of church tour – members should note a date for 2025. The Society has arranged a tour of five Essex round tower churches starting at St Nicholas of Myra, South Ockendon, on Saturday, June 7 at 11am. Then, it is planned to visit Broomfield, Great Leighs, Bardfield Saling and end at Lamarsh. The Society last tour was in 2012 and before that in 1994.
Michael Pollitt