Dockyard Church receives lifeline from Government's Culture Recovery Fund

The Dockyard Church project has been awarded a lifeline grant of £250k from the Culture Recovery Fund towards the costs of repairs to this Grade II* building at risk.

The Dockyard Church project has been awarded a lifeline grant of £250k from the Culture Recovery Fund towards the costs of repairs to this Grade II* building at risk.

This lifeline grant is from the latest round of the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund aimed at protecting a further 162 heritage sites to ensure that jobs and access to arts, culture and heritage in local communities, are protected in the months ahead, the Culture Secretary announced today.

More than £9 million has been allocated by the National Lottery Heritage Fund and Historic England on behalf of the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport. In addition, £5 million will go to construction and maintenance projects that have been paused due to the pandemic.

This grant will enable us to press on with this major project to repair and renovate Dockyard Church by covering a large part of the costs to repairing the building’s iconic tower. 


Culture Secretary, Oliver Dowden, said:
“These grants will help the places that have shaped our skylines for hundreds of years and that continue to define culture in our towns and cities. From St Paul’s and Ronnie Scott’s to The Lowry and Durham Cathedral, we’re protecting heritage and culture in every corner of the country to save jobs and ensure it can bounce back strongly.”

William Palin, Chair of the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust, said:

 "We are hugely grateful to DCMS, Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund for this lifeline grant to keep our extraordinary regeneration project on track. This funding will ensure that planned fabric repair works to the iconic tower of the church can continue as part of our £8m regeneration project which has already been supported by a £4.2m grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund."

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Duncan Wilson, Historic England Chief Executive said:
“Historic places across the country, from Durham Cathedral embodying more than a thousand years of history to the Crystal Palace dinosaurs, much loved by children and grownups alike, are being supported by the Government’s latest round of grants awarded under the Culture Recovery Fund. This funding is a lifeline which is kickstarting essential repairs and maintenance at many of our most precious historic sites, so they can begin to recover from the damaging effects of Covid-19. It is also providing employment for skilled craft workers who help to keep historic places alive and the wheels of the heritage sector turning. Our shared heritage is an anchor for us all in these challenging times and this funding will help to ensure it remains part of our collective future.”

Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said:
“The Government’s £1.57bn package for culture is unprecedented and it’s important to acknowledge how valuable this has been for our heritage organisations and visitor attractions.  Although we are not able to support everyone facing difficulties, today’s funding package helps a diverse range of heritage organisations from across the country survive, adapt and plan for a brighter future through the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage.
“By the end of this financial year we will have distributed almost £600m of Government and National Lottery Funding to heritage organisations. Investing in heritage remains vitally important, creating jobs and economic prosperity, driving tourism, supporting our wellbeing and making our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live. There is a lot more work to do to address the ongoing challenges, but this funding has provided a future for much of our heritage and the organisations that care for it, when it might otherwise have been permanently lost.” 

We will be making a further statement on Monday 9 November announcing the start or works

Site Updates

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Grade II* listed Sheerness Dockyard Church was built in 1828 by George Ledwell Taylor, Surveyor of Buildings to the Navy. Standing at the entrance to the former Royal Dockyard on the Isle of Sheppey, it is one of the most important buildings at risk in England. It was badly damaged by fire in 2001, leaving just the shell of the church. This substantial grant will be used to repair and conserve the tower and roof of the church as part of a £8 million regeneration project to transform the building into a new public space. It will be a business hub for young people and will include a vast 1820s scale model of the Dockyard complex that offers an insight into the technological and industrial knowhow that British naval power in the 19th century was built on. Apprenticeships are being offered in six trades: scaffolding, stone restoration, brickwork, roofing, steel work, and joinery, creating jobs for the local community. Repair and conservation work is underway as part of the major construction project. This will continue throughout the current lockdown, with Covid-safe practices in place at all times. The project is due to complete in spring 2022.

You can view the full list of funders that have helped in supporting this project, here.

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