Landmark Totnes church secures grants to fix sinking floors
St Mary church in Devon has been part of the Totnes landscape for more than 500 years. But if urgent action is not taken, this beautiful heritage could be lost forever.
The Grade I Listed church is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register – it is listed by them as "poor" and facing “slow decay”.
The floor is now not just a conservation concern – but also a health and safety one too. Part of the floor are sinking, and other parts are now raised up. This is due to water and damp underneath the building, expanding and contracting and destroying the floors.
The building is now damp and extremely cold – making it unusable in the winter months.
The church is not just a heritage landmark, but a vital community space. From weekly cafes, classical concerts, book launches, talks and lectures to choir practises, the church is a valued and much-loved space. It is open from dawn until dusk every day and attracts 50,000 visitors a year from people wanting to enjoy the heritage or just find somewhere quiet to reflect and pray.
But the church is already having to limit the amount it can do due to the poor condition of the building. The weekly cafe has to turn monthly in the winter due to the cold.
Thankfully, help is on hand to protect this much-loved building. The church is to share in a £871,696 urgent funding payout from the National Churches Trust.
A £40,000 National Churches Trust Grant will help to pay for urgent repairs to the church. On the recommendation of the National Churches Trust, the church will also receive a £10,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation.
Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: "The National Churches Trust is delighted to be able to support St Mary church to enable them to carry out urgent repairs to their beautiful building. Not only will this protect this important heritage, but it will help to keep the church building open and serving local people.”
“Whether seeking quiet reflection, access to community services or a place to worship, the National Churches Trust helps hundreds of churches each year and with the support of local people, keeps them thriving today and tomorrow.”
Paul Ramsbottom, Chief Executive of the Wolfson Foundation, said: "While churches are primarily places of worship, they also serve as vital community landmarks. We are delighted to continue our partnership with the National Churches Trust to ensure these cherished buildings and conserved and restored for future generations to experience and enjoy."
Jim Barlow, Rector at St. Mary’s church, said: “This grant from the National Churches Trust and the Wolfson Foundation is brilliant news for us. It is not easy for parish churches to raise funds for major repairs because everyone thinks the church is wealthy. In reality, local churches are run and funded by local volunteers. The National Churches Trust is one of the few bodies making funds available to support incredible buildings, like St Marys, which serve and support the whole community.”
“Repairs to the floor and making the building more accessible will enable more people to use the church for more of the year, both in the day and the evening. It will benefit everyone, not just the congregations: from people popping in to find peace and quiet or light a prayer candle, seasonal visitors coming in to admire the rare stone rood screen or see the Totnes Map, for community groups to run pop up events and exhibitions, for artists and musicians and those attending concerts.”
“It will make life so much easier for those who set up events, not having to navigate the uneven floors and raised pew platforms anymore and will create new open spaces whilst retaining the iconic character of the building.”
The grants will enable the floor to be repaired. It will also go towards other measures that will help make the church watertight again, including fixing the stonework around the North West Window and installing drains. An accessible toilet will also be added to make the building a much more welcoming space. St
Mary is a former priory church, rebuilt in 1439-1460 from Devon rubble. It has been built on a site that has hosted worship for a thousand years.
The imposing tower, in characteristic Devon red stone, dominates the steep High Street.
The churchyard and surrounding area are a scheduled monument, along with the remains of the Benedictine Priory.
The church is home to some rare heritage that must be protected. This includes the full-width 15th century rood screen, which is only one of four in the country in a parish church, the Kempe stained glass window, the 1861 Willis Organ, the restored oak wagon roof and the fine brass candelabrum in the nave.
In 2019, Totnes Heritage Trust commissioned an enormous map of Totnes which is now on the floor of St Mary’s Church. Drawn by local artist Anna Ventura, it features stories and characters that local residents will recognise. Thankfully, the map has not been affected by the floor issues and continues to draw significant numbers of visitors to the church.
53 churches across the UK will stay open and in good repair thanks to £871,696 – over ¾ of a million pounds – of funding awarded and recommended by the National Churches Trust in this latest round of grants.
In 2023, the National Churches Trust made over 180 grant awards to churches throughout the UK, with funding totalling more than £2 million. This has helped to save over 70,000 years of precious heritage.
The National Churches Trust helps churches through our extensive grants programme. Grants are available for churches of any Christian denomination that are open for regular worship to fund urgent repairs, maintenance, installing toilets or kitchens and feasibility studies to develop projects. Full details are at: nationalchurchestrust.org/grants
