A total of £21,500 has been awarded in repair grants by the Society to five round tower churches in the three months to December 2025.
The Norfolk Churches Trust also pledged more than £21,000 to three round tower churches – making a grand total of almost £43,000 by the two conservation charities.
When members visited Repps-cum-Bastwick church in Broadland on the September tour, it was reported that a hole in the tower roof was letting in water. A request for £1,000 for scaffolding and to fund repairs, including new rolls of lead, was approved.
St Peter’s church did receive £1,000 to replace drainpipes and prevent water causing further damage to the chancel wall, which had been done by the tour visit.
A £2,000 grant was paid to St Edmunds, Fritton, to clear the tower floors, louvre cills and bell frame of bird droppings and debris. All high-level timber, louvres, walkways and ladders have now been treated with a wood preservative. The Society’s grant met almost half the total cost.
A £6,000 grant has been made to St Mary the Virgin, Gissing. It needs £60,000 to replace all six windows in chancel, nave and tower. The glazing has buckled because of lead degradation and water is coming into the church.
The PCC is replacing coloured cathedral glass with clear crown-type glass, which will let in more light. The east window repair will be £15,300 to reglaze and the two south chapel windows will each cost about £6,500 with similar sums for two nave windows. The tower window will cost £1,824. Norfolk Churches Trust has awarded £8,000.
At All Saints, Stuston, repair of the north-west window was given a grant. Now, the south-east window needs repairs, which will cost circa £13,000. The church has a £5,000 shortfall but it has applied to other trusts for help. Again, the Society will help again with an initial £5,000 grant.
Norfolk Churches Trust awarded a total of about £65,000 in grants at the November council meeting.
Two round churches will benefit. St Peter & Paul, Wramplingham, receives £10,000 towards the £140,00 cost of roof repairs. The PCC is working up a major project, which cost about £600,00 to transform the church into a major community asset. The Society has awarded £7,500 towards the project.
St Andrew, Little Snoring, which also needs extensive roof repairs, was given £3,552 for a professional investigation into the scale of the full repair project by the NCT.
