AN historic church has been awarded more than £130,000 lottery cash to complete restoration work.

The Georgian St John the Evangelist Church, Kearsley, is a Grade II listed Commissioner's Church, designed by London architect Thomas Hardwick.

But the church, built in 1826, has recently had to have major restoration work after the collapse of the top of the east gable wall in a storm seven years ago.

The church community has raised much of the money themselves, spending £135,000 on underpinning the chancel, repairing the nave and north vestry roofs and eradicating dry rot.

The recently completed work was also paid for with the help of a £6,000 grant from the Historic Churches Preservation Trust and a loan of £3,000 from Diocesan funds.

The grant of £132,000, confirmed today by the Heritage Lottery Fund, means the final phase of restoration can get underway, including the repair of the east gable wall and chancel roof, the south vestry roof, tower and entrance roofs together with the elimination of rot. Once that is done then the building can be rewired and decorated.

"The District Church Council and the people of St John's are very grateful to the Lottery Heritage Fund for their assistance with the next stages of the restoration which will provide a church ready to move forward in mission and service to the community as we come to celebrate the Millennium marking 2,000 years of Christianity," said team vicar Rev Brian Hartley.

Other local Heritage Lottery Fund grants include one for the Outwood Viaduct at Bury.

As reported in the BEN last week, the Victorian Grade II listed structure will get £471,000. It means Bury Council will now be able to restore it and make it part of the Outwood Trail, a land reclamation scheme on the former railway.

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