CONTEXT 181 : SEPTEMBER 2024 3 St Peter’s Church in Forncett, Norfolk, with its Saxon tower (Photo: David Airey) The Army band at St Hilda’s Church, Hartlepool (Photo: Ian Pounder) Places of worship Vicars’ Close in Wells, historic home of one of the UK’s oldest choirs, Wells Cathedral’s Vicars’ Choral and five at-risk places of worship have been awarded a share of £7.4 million from the National Lottery Heritage Fund. Vicars’ Close is said to be the oldest, uniquely residential street in Europe. Connected to Wells Cathedral, the quadrangle street contains 27 Grade I-listed residencies, built in the early 15th century to house the cathedral’s adult choir (the Vicars’ Choral). The buildings continue to be home to the Vicars’ Choral and their families, along with Wells Cathedral vergers, staff and a few private tenants. The funding will help restore Vicars’ Close’s buildings, addressing a backlog of repairs that have left the buildings in poor condition. St Peter’s Church in Forncett, Norfolk, with its Saxon round tower dating back to 1000 CE, receives £579,000. This will enable urgent repairs necessitated by weather-induced damage. It will also help St Peter’s become an ‘eco church’, which includes a commitment to mitigating the negative effects of climate change and reducing the church’s impact on the environment. The Heart of the Headland project at St Hilda’s Church in Hartlepool, County Durham, has received a grant of over £587,000 to help remove the church from the at-risk register. Constructed in the 12th century on the Headland, the church holds several burial name stones uncovered during the 19th and early 20th centuries, artefacts that are unique to the north east and significant for Anglo-Saxon Northumbria. The Beckford story Beckford’s Tower and Museum has reopened following a £3.9 million refurbishment funded by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and other public and private funders. The project has gone beyond essential repairs to encompass reimagining the museum and creating new interpretation, installing renewable energy sources and excavating a hidden grotto. New displays showcase pieces from the varied collections of William Beckford (1760–1844). Beckford’s wealth came from his ownership of sugar plantations in Jamaica and the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved people. He Beckford’s Tower: new interpretations of the collector’s privilege and power (Photo: Casper Farrell, Beckford’s Tower, Bath Preservation Trust)
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