Beverley Minster’s Vicar says he is delighted after they received initial support from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) for the Beverley Minster, Place of Sanctuary project, it was announced.
Made possible by National Lottery players, the project aims to repair and conserve the badly leaking roof of the lesser transept under which the famous Saxon Sanctuary chair is situated.
The Vicar, the Revd. Canon Jonathan Baker said:
“We are of course delighted to have received HLF funding to begin the project to repair our roof so that the Minster is safe for visitors in the foreseeable future.”
“At the same time we have the opportunity to tell Beverley’s largely untold story as a sanctuary town with rights granted to the Minster as a safe place over a thousand years ago.”
Development funding of £32,600 has also been awarded to help the Minster progress their plans to apply for a full grant at a later date.
The project, as well as aiming to carry out essential conservation and repair work to the roof, will develop an exhibition to inform visitors of Beverley’s rich heritage and historical importance.
It will relate its medieval status as a place of sanctuary with the contemporary plight of refugees and asylum-seekers. It will also appoint a Learning Events Officer to develop an educational programme.
The large number of Minster volunteers will receive training so that they can enhance their knowledge of sanctuary, support the project activities and help visitors engage with the church’s history.
The project will commission a new publication to complement the exhibition outlining the importance of sanctuary in the history of Beverley.
Beverley Minster is England’s largest Parish Church and attracts tens of thousands of visitors to services and events as well as to appreciate the architecture of one of Europe’s most beautiful Gothic churches.
