St Andrews Chapel restoration project awarded £36k grant
- Published
St Andrews Chapel was bought by conservationists in 2018 after standing empty since 1970
A project to restore a historic chapel, dating from the 15th Century, has been awarded a grant of £36,000.
The former St Andrews Chapel in Boxley, Kent, is on the Heritage at Risk Register and was bought by the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) in 2018.
Matthew Slocombe, director of the SPAB, said: "We hope to be in a position to implement the repair work during 2022".
The building forms part of Boxley Abbey and has been empty since 1970.
The Grade II* listed building, which is made of Kentish ragstone, has had many uses over the years.
It was once home to the Tudor poet Thomas Wyatt, and acted as the village post office between the 1930s and 1960s.
The west corner of the historic building needs reinforcing
The grant, from Historic England, will be used to fund the design of an engineering solution to reinforce the west corner of the building, and for investigation work around the reasons for structural movement which has occurred over the past 500 years.
Marion Brinton, from Historic England, said: "We are delighted to be able to support the SPAB with their sensitive repair of the building.
"The many layers of history are evident in every room and by properly investigating the best way to support and repair the structural issues identified, we can ensure the correct solution is found to allow this building to live on."
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