A Victorian church in Hayle, Cornwall, is set for restoration work after being named among 17 heritage sites across the South West to receive funding support.
The Church of St Elwyn will benefit from a share of more than £5 million awarded in the region through the Places of Worship Renewal Fund and the Heritage at Risk Capital Fund. The two programs sit within the wider £1.5 billion Arts Everywhere Fund, which is intended to support historic sites across England that need repairs.
For St Elwyn’s, the funded scope includes repointing, masonry repairs, and installing new rainwater systems designed to reduce future water damage. Interior decoration and the building fabric are also expected to be restored using traditional conservation methods.
For mason contractors and restoration crews, the project is a reminder of how closely masonry performance ties to water management. Funding that pairs repointing and masonry repair with rainwater upgrades signals a practical preservation focus, keeping water off the walls and slowing deterioration.
St Elwyn’s is one of 13 places of worship in the South West receiving funding. Other Cornish recipients include the Parish Church of St Martin in Liskeard, Wesley Methodist Church in Launceston, and the Primitive Methodist Church in St Ives. In Plymouth, the Church of St Matthias will receive support for roof and stonework repairs to help safeguard the neo-Gothic building for community use.
Historic England co-CEOs Emma Squire and Claudia Kenyatta said historic places sit at the heart of communities, shaping the character and identity of where people live, work, and visit. They said the grants will support buildings and places of worship facing significant repair and conservation needs.
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