ST Mary the Virgin Church in Embsay-with-Eastby has been awarded a second stage grant of £92,800 from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) to begin the implementation of its A Roof For Our Future project.

The money will be used to repair and restore two of the main slopes of the roof, carry out necessary work on the tower and further develop the use of the church and churchyard as community resources.

Repairs are urgently needed as the original 162-year-old roof is reaching the end of its life with water leaking in, which is damaging the plaster and decoration inside the church.

Vicar, the Rev Louise Taylor-Kenyon, said: "We are delighted the Heritage Lottery Fund has given us this support for roof repair work at St Mary’s, which will allow us to continue to be an integral part of the villages of Embsay and Eastby for many years to come.

“There is so much here at St Mary’s just waiting to be uncovered. We may look like just another small village church but our heritage is fascinating.

"This grant has given us the confidence to plan for the future so that we shall be able to share our history with many more people and in different ways."

The development stage of the HLF process included drawing up plans with architects Knox McConnell and preparing contracts for the work to be carried out in the spring.

The project – which will be overseen by St Mary’s Parochial Church Council – will also include work to improve access to the church heritage.

Planning has already begun for research into the 1,900 recorded burials in the churchyard and the preparation of a database of those individuals with links, where possible, to local history.

This work is being developed in conjunction with the Upper Wharfedale Heritage Group and involves collaboration with experts from York University on new techniques for recovering lost inscriptions from worn gravestones.

New resources will also be created, including an information board for visitors and an updated website.

The present church was completed in 1853 when the growth of textile mills in the village swelled the population. It stands near a much older monastic site, which was in existence by 1120 and was dissolved in 1546.

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