A £42,340 grant for All Saints, Crostwight from the National Lottery Heritage Fund has enabled the PCC to begin the process of conserving historic medieval wall paintings within the church.
With the initial funding, the church has been able to commission preliminary surveys and have plans drawn up regarding the best way to preserve the historically significant artworks for future generations.
The hope is that next year a further £437,000 might be awarded, enabling not only conservation work to take place on the 11 panels depicting the Passion of Christ but also essential repairs to areas including the chancel arch, plaster and the installation of new drains to reduce the risk of damp.
This is in line with the National Lottery Heritage Fund’s policy that all grant applications over £250,000 are assessed in two rounds, with an initial development phase laying the foundations for the subsequent investment.
All Saints, Crostwight dates back around 700 years and retains several nationally-significant medieval features such as wall paintings, rood screen and bell.
Peter Williams, Churchwarden at Honing and Crostwight churches and project leader, said:
“We are thrilled to have received this initial support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund.
“Thanks to National Lottery players we can now develop our plans to protect and conserve these remarkable survivals put here by our distant forebears. They can then continue to be enjoyed by all those who pass this way for many years to come”.
Featured image: The 14th century wall paintings at All Saints’ church, Crostwight. Copyright Fiona Williams 2025.