They want to raise the roof: Appeal launched to raise £180,000 to save Grade I listed church in Lower Basildon
An appeal has been launched to raise £180,000 and save a 700-year-old church in Lower Basildon for future generations.
The roof of St Bartholomew’s needs replacing, with sections replaced with temporary corrugated metal coving.
Tiles on the Grade I-listed building have fallen out or are slipping, leading to the roof battens rotting away.
This exposed parts of the mediaeval church exposed to the elements, leading to the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) spending £18,000 to install a temporary roof and make the building weathertight.
It is open to the public, thanks to a team of volunteers, meaning people can explore its history.
Now the trust is fundraising to complete the full works.
While £49,000 has been donated already, the CCT is appealing for help to raise the remaining £131,000.
It is planning a series of events in the autumn, including a churchyard and church clean and maintenance day on Saturday, September 28, followed by an evensong service the following day.
On Wednesday, October 2, they will hold a Macmillan Cancer charity coffee morning, while Saturday, October 19, will see the church host an art workshop.
Suzanne Harris, a fundraising manager with the CCT, said: “There are all sorts of events being planned at the moment, which is really good.
“The church has its own events anyway, but we will set up events across the year.
“There is a fundraising campaign board as well.”
She is determined the church is restored.
“This is a top priority project for us. It’s quite a large roof on this church and we need the support of the community to help us raise the funds.
“We have 359 churches across England and we have to prioritise projects due to the risk to the historic fabric of the church.
“Here, the roof failed, the wooden battons behind the tiles failed, leaving a gap and putting the rest of the church at risk.
“We did two temporary coverings, one was ripped off by the wind, the second was meant to last a few years but was ripped off again.
“We had to put the corrugated roof on, but there is still a risk that water could leak into the church.
“Once this starts happening, it is going to affect the walls and everything internally.
“We need to get the repairs done before it costs us more money.”
And if there is a harsh autumn, or a cold winter, the roof could be damaged even more.
“The sooner we can do the work the better,” Ms Knight said.
It is not just about the money, the church is historically important too.
“It’s Grade I listed and most of the churches that are looked after by CCT are of archaeological, architectural or historic significance,” Ms Harris said.
“St Bartholomew’s is probably the oldest building in the locality, dating back to 1280.
“It has beautiful stained glass and a fascinating history as well.
“It has connections with Basildon Park and the then booming wool and corn trade.
“It’s a very special church building.”
She said it was really important to keep the churches open.
“Quite often they are the only community building in the area,” she continued. “They tell us about our heritage and have so much information in them.
“If we lose these churches it’s a sad state of affairs.
“It’s good that people, local people, want to support them.”
When they start repairing the roof, they will recycle the old tiles where possible.
“If you have to get them from Cornwall, or wherever, it has an impact,” Ms Knight said. “Reusing and recycling is what we’re all about.”
Log on to visitchurches.org.uk and search for ‘roof repair at St Bartholomew’s’ to make a donation.
The church houses a memorial to Jethro Tull, father of the agricultural revolution who was born in the village, baptised and buried at the church.
It also has a memorial for two brothers who drowned in the River Thames in 1886, brass effigies of John and Lucie Clerk, and a 19th-century memorial for Sir Francis Sykes.
While the nave and south door of the church were built in the 13th century, the roof timbers date back to the 15th, built from proceeds of the wool and corn trade.
