Repairs worth £3m will revitalise medieval Nottinghamshire church - plus new cafe space

Vital building works are due to take place on a medieval church in Nottinghamshire. Grants of more than £3 million have been given to St Mary Magdalene Parish Church in Newark by the National Lottery Heritage Fund, plus support from Historic England, the Church of England and the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.

The church is currently on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register but the £3,064,126 received will help the Grade I building get the repairs it needs. This includes centuries' worth of weather damage to the 12th-century church and replacing the lead roof with a hard-wearing modern metal alternative.

There will also be 40 solar panels installed on the church’s southern roof, which will be hidden from street level and will help create an eco-friendly future for the site. The works are due to start in early November 2024 and will be led by Thomas Ford and Partners Architects, as well as Alan Staley Building Contractors

It is hoped that that the repairs will help breathe new life into the visitor experience at the site whilst also saving the building for future generations. Some of the changes due to take place include an "acoustically separate" room to be built in the northwest corner of the church for community activities, workshops and exhibitions.

This room will be named after Thomas Magnus, a 16th-century diplomat and benefactor to the church and town. Meanwhile, the south-west corner will be transformed into a cafe space with seating and new accessible toilets.

Funding from the Church of England will provide for an extension to the existing platform in the centre of the church to provide an improved space for worship and performances. All of these changes and repairs are being carried out as part of the Reawakening of St Mary Magdalene project.

Andrew Fearn, project lead, said: “We are excited to break ground on this project, and to contribute to a bright future for St Mary’s and the wider community. We are grateful to the National Lottery Heritage Fund for making this work possible.”

As part of the works, there will also be new information panels added to the church, which will highlight the building's history and architecture. Whilst the works take place the church will be closed and most services will be relocated to other local venues.