St Michaels in the Hamlet gets some long overdue cash.

MORE than £350,000 will be paid to three Liverpool places of worship by English Heritage, to maintain and repair their historic structures.

Receiving the largest grant, of £199,000, is the church at St Michael in the Hamlet, Aigburth, one of the first buildings to be constructed around a cast-iron frame.
http://www.walkingbook.co.uk/liverpool/pages/page11.htm This online version is a good source for Liverpools history.
St Michael’s vicar, David Parry, said he was “absolutely delighted” with the news and hailed it as further evidence of English Heritage’s commitment to the 195-year-old building. Also due a boost in funds is the Church of All Hallows, in Allerton.
Built between 1872 and 1876, to the designs of GE Grayson, the church contains fine examples of stained glass windows by Morris and Co.
English Heritage has offered £103,000 towards the cost of tower repairs.

The money is delivered in two stages, the first offer is a proportion of the funds, usually utilised for investigative and exploratory work to determine the cost of the repair or maintenance project.
Each congregation must then decide whether to accept the money, with a requirement to match fund to a certain, lesser amount.
Alaster Burman, project director at Princes Road Synagogue, hopes the congregation at the Toxteth-based place of worship will sanction the funding.
Mr Burman said: “English Heritage has been very supportive in the past and is continuing to be so.
“The synagogue is Grade 1 listed and considered to be one of the finest buildings in Europe.
“On a personal note, I hope we do go along with the work, but it is up to the congregation to accept the offer, I know that is a consideration.”
Opened in 1874, the building has a richly decorated and ornate interior that attracts visitors from across the world.
Henry Owen-John, regional director for English Heritage in the North-West region, said: “The North-West has a rich heritage of religious buildings, from tiny rural parish churches and chapels to the huge urban churches of the Industrial Revolution. Its diversity is also reflected in some important buildings built to serve non-Christian faiths.
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/2009/05/henry-owen-john-english-heretic.html He is described as regional director when his true title is Regional Development Director and is responsible for allowing some of the biggest carbuncles in the city.


“There is an urgent need for repairs to sustain this outstanding religious heritage, and English Heritage is pleased to be able to provide help for this onerous task.”

St Michael’s vicar, David Parry says he and his congregation will now set about finding the £50,000 match funding necessary to release the English Heritage offer. If accepted, the synagogue will receive £10,000 in the first instance, with access to a further £61,000 to carry out repairs to the north west elevation and stair tower.
In total, £373,000 is being offered to places of worship in Liverpool, out of a pot reaching almost £1.2m, set aside for such buildings across the North- West.
We can only say this is a good news for all those concerned and wish the people connected with undergoing the restorations well in their endevours.
http://liverpoolpreservationtrust.blogspot.com/search/label/Liverpools%20Heritage%20at%20Risk But there is still a lot more work to do.