Historic Croston Church to start work on major repairs with award of Heritage Lottery Fund grant

St Michael & All Angels Church in Croston has received a confirmed grant of £206,900 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) towards a scheme of major repairs to the roof and floors of this historic parish church, it was announced today. Thanks to money raised by National Lottery players, the project aims to eradicate death watch beetle that has badly affected roof timbers and replace damaged & compromised timber in the roof and floors throughout the church. Work is due to start on 5^th June and will continue till the end of October 2017.

The project aims to carry out essential conservation work to protect the structural integrity of the building, improve access and enable wider use of the church buildings for schools, visitors and community use.  An educational programme, regular open days and events are also planned and volunteers will be given training so they can guide and inform visitors about the history of the church.

There has been a church in the centre of Croston for over 1000 years and parts of the current Church dates back to 1230, although most of the building dates from the 15th century. The Church is located within a conservation area and surrounded by attractive gardens, woods and open space and is the focus for many community activities throughout the year including the annual “Coffee Day” Walk of Witness, Christmas Fair, Craft Markets and Remembrance Day commemorations. Croston is one of the most picturesque and photographed small villages in Lancashire, attracting large numbers of visitors throughout the year.

The Church will close after services on 4^th June and will temporarily relocate to the Trinity Methodist Church in Croston at 9 a.m. on Sunday 11^th June 2017 until October. Wednesday services will continue to be held in the Vestry at St Michaels Church

Church Warden Andrew Marston said: “We’re delighted that the Heritage Lottery Fund has given the funding to enable us to go ahead with this major project. The Church has been very much at the heart of our village community for centuries and it’s great to know that we are can now to preserve it for future generations. It also gives us the opportunity to open it up more to schools and other visitors to learn more about our church and its history”

You can see more about the restoration here