Nottingham Cathedral restoration awarded £800,000 Lottery grant

Nottingham Cathedral was designed by Augustus Pugin

A city cathedral designed by one of Victorian Britain's best-known architects is to be restored, thanks to a Lottery Heritage Fund grant.

Nottingham Cathedral was designed by Augustus Pugin, who also worked on the design of the House of Commons.

The cathedral's trustees said they had been awarded an initial £277,558, plus a potential further £524,858 for a restoration project.

Canon Malachy Brett, the dean, said he was really delighted.

'Rich heritage'

The restoration of the grade II* listed Catholic cathedral will see three chapels at the east end of the building brought back to what conservators believe was Pugin's original vision.

Early investigations of paintwork have shown Pugin's original decorative scheme, covered over with later paint, can be uncovered and brought back to its former glory.

Gothic master

• Augustus Welby Northmore Pugin was one of the key pioneers of the Gothic Revival architectural style in Britain during the early Victorian period.

• Through his works, publications and close collaboration with the architect Sir Charles Barry in the design of the Houses of Parliament and the Elizabeth Tower, home of Big Ben, Pugin worked to bring the Middle Ages to life.

• The cathedral said part of its work will involve helping Pugin's work become better known both within Nottingham and further afield.

Source: Nottingham Cathedral

The £277,558 has been awarded for the first phase of the development work - known as Restore Pugin - with a potential delivery grant of £524,858.

Both grants represent 60% of total costs.

The cathedral is working in partnership with Nottingham Trent University (NTU) and heritage and arts consultancy Culture Syndicates.

The building - also known as St Barnabas' Cathedral - is the seat of the Bishop of Nottingham.

Canon Brett said: "We are really delighted that the National Lottery Heritage Fund is generously supporting our plans to Restore Pugin at Nottingham Cathedral.

"Not only will we be able to restore some of Pugin's magnificent original design work to the cathedral but also to create a number of opportunities for young people to engage in conservation and heritage work.

"We... hope that it will enable many more people to appreciate the cathedral's rich heritage."

Neville Stankley, from Culture Syndicates, said: "We are pleased to be collaborating with Nottingham Cathedral and NTU on this exciting project."