Flamstead church: £1m repairs save Grade I-listed building

The 12th and 13th Century wall murals were covered up for centuries before being rediscovered in the 1930s

A 12th Century Grade I-listed church has been saved from closure after a £1m restoration.

A 2017 inspection of St Leonard's Church in Flamstead, Hertfordshire, revealed severely decayed medieval roof timbers, sparking a fundraising appeal.

Rainwater leaks put a "priceless series of medieval wall paintings" at risk of permanent damage.

Fundraiser Andrew Lambourne said the restored building "can now be shared with far more people".

Before the roof was repaired (above) it was in such a bad state it put the building at risk of closure

The repairs were funded by local donors, grant-giving bodies and the National Lottery Heritage Fund

The church was threatened with closure on safety grounds following the 2017 inspection, unless £1m could be raised in four years for the repairs.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund awarded the project £750,000, while locals raised a further £285,000.

The church now has a community engagement officer who will lead heritage activities.

The church has medieval graffiti

It includes this monument to the head of Elizabeth I's household, Sir Bartholomew Fowke

Mr Lambourne said: "Making the building structurally sound and weatherproof has saved a priceless series of medieval wall paintings, fascinating medieval graffiti and monuments and epitaphs to ordinary villagers, landowners and people connected with the ruling classes in Tudor and Stuart times.

"The support from the community throughout the project has been fantastic and having the church revealed again from beneath the year-long scaffold shroud made it all worthwhile."

The 12th and 13th Century murals were covered up during the Reformation and rediscovered in the 1930s.

Art historian Ellie Pridgeon said they "stand out" among UK wall paintings, which made them "very special".

They are believed to be created by the same artist who painted murals at St Albans Cathedral.

It is a "near miracle" that St Leonard's has been saved for future generations, according to Flamstead and Markyate vicar, the Reverend Jo Burke