All Saints' Church, Winterton, wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

All Saints' Church, Winterton, wins Heritage Lottery Fund support

Funding has ben provided for the for the 'All Saints: The Story It Tells of Winterton' project. This project aims to ensure that the medieval church can act as a centre for revealing the rich heritage story of Winterton by creating spaces for heritage display, interpretation and study and at the same time ensure a large flexible space for community use.

Development funding of £36,000 has also been awarded to help All Saints' Church move their plans forward so that a full grant application for £676,600 can be made at a later date. If this developmental work proceeds on schedule and the full grant application is successful work on the building could start in late 2013 and be completed during the summer of 2014.

The project will conserve the exceptionally rich and diverse heritage in All Saints’ Church in order to tell the story of Winterton to an increasing range of audiences. The Grade I listed building, which dominates the central townscape, will be safeguarded for future generations, as will its extensive and often unusual, artefacts and archives. Learning will be greatly enhanced by the creation of dedicated heritage spaces. These will house artefacts and archives from the community as well as the church. The medieval doors, west gallery instruments, the 1593 carved wooden altar, archives and other artefacts will be conserved and displayed and current developments will be recorded for future generations.

The church will also be made accessible to all by levelling the floor, and significant conservation works to  both the fabric and contents, including roof repairs will be undertaken to safeguard the fabric against further decay. A new kitchen and toilets are also planned, linked to the existing building through the north porch. The church will be able to host a much wider range of community events and there will be many opportunities for people to get involved in learning about Winterton's past and participating in these developments to keep All Saints alive as a focus for the community.

The well-used building has always been a focal point for the community and currently hosts a range of concerts, coffee mornings and activities as well as the usual church services. The beautiful building, the oldest part of which dates from before 1100, was largely completed by 1300. It has a well preserved 'Lincolnshire Tower' from around 1100, early 13th century ironwork on the later medieval main door and many other unusual details. It survived the English Civil War, was witness to the 17th century Winterton Riots, the typhoid epidemic in the 1860s and so much more.

Robin Shawyer, Chair of the All Saints Forward group, which consists of both church and wider community members and which has developed this project over the last two years, said: “This is amazing news since we know that competition for Heritage Lottery Fund grants is very intense. I am thrilled that the hard work of the group has been rewarded. The Heritage Lottery Fund has clearly recognised the potential of our project. We know there will be many people in our community delighted to hear that All Saints will continue to play a key role in our town.”

Explaining the importance of the award, Fiona Spiers, Head of the Heritage Lottery Fund for Yorkshire and the Humber, said: “As a Grade I listed building and known to be the oldest and most significant in Winterton's Conservation Area, we are delighted to give our initial support for this worthwhile project and look forward to receiving a full application in the future.”

Notes to editors

About All Saints' Church, Winterton
All Saints is the medieval parish church for Winterton. There are regular Church of England services but also a weekly Roman Catholic mass. There is an extensive programme of concerts and coffee mornings each year and the church is always open for visitors on Wednesday afternoons.

Further information

Please contact Robin Shawyer, Chair of the All Saints Forward group, at All Saints' Church, Winterton, on 01724 734 285 or 07768 121 510 or rdshawyer@gmail.com.

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