St Mary's Church in Stebbing begins restoration process

The Way Forward Project was awarded £1.57 million by the National Lottery Heritage Fund to restore and preserve St Mary's Church and remove it from the 'Heritage at Risk' register.

Aa three-year activity plan will also be introduced for the wider community.

The project has begun by recruiting key personnel to help deliver the planned activities. 

This autumn, St Mary's Church will be cleared out entirely, preparing for the Bakers of Danbury - the designated building and conservation specialists - to start the interior renovations and conservation work.

Work includes the installation of underfloor heating and wall radiators, the installation of glass doors in the porch and removing the pews to provide flexible seating.

There will also be new bespoke displays and storage to keep the interior tidy, and a new servery and renovated kitchen to offer refreshments café-style.

Finally new lighting and AV will be installed, the walls will be redecorated and heritage assets will be preserved for the future.

Alongside the building work, the new team members will kick off the activity programme, featuring hard hat tours, workshops, animation, interpretation points and more - aiming to showcase St Mary's heritage to a broad audience once the church reopens.

Project leader Rhoda Herbert said: "We are excited to kick off the essential capital work for the restoration of St. Mary’s and start planning activities for the broader community with our new team members.

"After more than a decade of meticulous planning, reaching this stage and witnessing these plans come to fruition is truly thrilling.

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"We are grateful to National Lottery players and the Heritage Fund for making this project possible."

St Mary's in Stebbing is more than 700 years old, and is the largest building in the village.

The church has a long and interesting history, with links to the Knight's Hospitaller - a Catholic military order founded in the 12th century.

This history will be further explored by those working on the project, and will be interpreted for visitors so its historical significance endures for future generations.