Project to save 17th Century chapel given £97,000

The Walpole Old Chapel is currently on Historic England's Heritage at Risk register

A project set up to restore a 17th Century chapel has received funding worth tens of thousands of pounds.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has awarded £96,332 to The Friends of Walpole Old Chapel's (FWOC) project, called Walpole Old Chapel Unwrapped.

The FWOC said it wanted to carry out essential repairs and conservation work on the Grade II listed building, in Walpole, Suffolk, to safeguard its future.

The group hoped that once the works have been completed, the nonconformist chapel would be removed from Historic England's Heritage at Risk register.

Simon Weeks, the secretary of the Friends of Walpole Old Chapel, said: "We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund."

The chapel, which is more than 300 years old, is still used for worship, baptisms, weddings and cultural performances

Once described as a "historic gem" by architectural historian Christopher Stell, the chapel is still used for worship, baptisms, weddings and cultural performances.

The building, which is more than 300 years old, also offers volunteers opportunities to carry out research on the nonconformist congregations of north-east Suffolk.

The FWOC said it would use the funds to "advance crucial plans" for the chapel and related businesses and engage the public through various activities.

The group said it planned to eventually take ownership of the chapel from the Historic Chapels Trust.

Once development works were complete, the FWOC said it would apply to the Heritage Fund for £900,000 to deliver the rest of the renovation project.

The project will see the chapel's original timber frame repaired and the render on its walls replaced

This restoration works would see the external render on the chapel walls replaced and the original timber frame repaired.

The renovations would run alongside programmes promoting the chapel as a destination for visitors to the county and workshops about conservation techniques, the FWOC said.

"The chapel is more than 300 years old and was built by people who wanted to worship in their own way in their own building," added Mr Weeks.

"Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to help us make sure the chapel has a sustainable future by extending the range of cultural activities we shall be able to offer," he said.