Listed London sites get £1.3m for urgent repairs

The funding will allow the Greenhouse Centre's final phase of works to be completed and reopen

Two heritage-listed buildings in London are set to be saved from ruin after a £1.3m grant was awarded to fund "urgent repairs", Historic England has said.

The Grade II listed St Mary's Church in Somers Town in north-west London will receive £639,000 to save it from the threat of demolition due to its current poor condition.

The Greenhouse Centre in central London, a Grade II listed converted church, will be granted £663,100 to make essential upgrades.

Louise Brennan, director of regions at Historic England, said the funding would "breathe new life into neglected historic buildings that we haven't been able to help through our existing grant schemes".

St Mary's Church faced closure or demolition without urgent repairs

"St Mary's has been at the heart of Somers Town for 200 years, providing a place of worship and developing deep connections with people locally to offer much-needed community space and a place of sanctuary for those in need," the spokesperson said.

The grant will allow the most immediate work needed to the west front of the Gothic-style building to be undertaken.

This will cover repairs to failing masonry, brickwork and joinery as well as repointing, cleaning and improved drainage.

Historic England said it will ensure the church's administrators can seek further funding to restore the rest of the building.

The Greenhouse Centre, located in a 200-year-old building on Cosway Street, will use the funding to cover the final phase of work to reopen.

Essential upgrades include structurally reinforcing the main floor and installing new fire protection systems.

The centre belongs to Greenhouse Sports, a charity delivering sports coaching and mentoring to young people facing poverty.

Heritage Minister Baroness Twycross said: "Our extraordinary heritage weaves together the stories that define who we are as communities and as a nation."

The grants are part of the wider £15m Heritage at Risk Capital Fund, which is being shared across 37 sites in England at risk of "dereliction or demolition", a Historic England spokesperson said.

The one-year initiative, funded by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), prioritises heritage sites serving disadvantaged communities and which demonstrate strong local benefits, from job creation to cultural events.