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St Lawrence, Southleigh DHCT Case Study

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Southleigh Church

Where: St Lawrence, Southleigh

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Replace coping stones and remedy water ingress at the South West Corner of the South Aisle and the South East Corner of the Chancel

DHCT Grant Awarded: £2,000

Total Project Fund: £15,328

Date of DHCT Grant Award: July 2025

Overview

St Lawrence’s Church, Southleigh is a Grade II* Listed Building located in the beautiful East Devon countryside.

The Grant Application & Project

Our quinquennial report identified cracked coping stones as the cause of our water ingress issues at the South West Corner of the South Aisle and at the South East Corner of the Chancel.

After accepting an estimate for the repair, we contacted DHCT and were visited by an assessor. We were later awarded £2000.00 towards our total estimated project cost.

We are extremely grateful to DHCT for awarding us a grant and for their valuable help and guidance

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St Michael & All Angels, Sowton DHCT Case Study

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St Michael & All Angels, Sowton

Where: St Michael & All Angels, Sowton Village

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Repair of the stone cross on the chancel roof

DHCT Grant Awarded: £1,000

Total Project Fund: £2550

Date of DHCT Grant Award: March 2026

Project Start: April 2026

Project End: July 2026

Overview

St Michael and All Angels Church is a Grade I listed parish church with an early 16th century arcade. The rest of the church was rebuilt to a design by John Hayward in 1844-45. It lies within the small village of Sowton to the east of Exeter.

The stone cross on the apex of the chancel roof started leaning precariously after a section of masonry fell away and allowed water to penetrate, corroding the iron rod supporting the cross.

The Grant Application & Project

In February 2026, the PCC of St Michael and All Angels applied to the Devon Historic Churches Trust for an Emergency Grant towards the repair of a stone cross on the apex of the chancel roof that had begun tilting at an alarming angle as a broken section of masonry at the base had allowed water to penetrate, which corroded the inner iron rod supporting the cross. “The cross is at risk of falling in high winds, not only potentially damaging the roof and shattering as it falls but also posing a risk to passersby,” the grant application said.

The plan was for a stonemason to remove the apex stone to which the cross was fixed as well as the ironwork which was causing damage through rust expansion. He would then make a new base for the cross shaft and pin it to the existing cross, subsequently re-fixing the cross using a stainless steel dowl and re-bedding and repointing the stone with lime mortar. An archdeacon’s B list faculty had been sought and approved.

A DHCT assessor visited the church and reported back to the DHCT Trustees within a week in view of the urgency of the required repair.

As the stonemason required scaffolding including a platform in order to reach the cross and carry out the repair, the cost for addressing this hazardous issue came to an estimated £2,550.00. In their bid for a grant from DHCT, the PCC identified £1,000 from existing church funds towards the cost of the repair and believed it could raise an additional £200 through local fundraising efforts.

The DHCT kindly approved the grant application and awarded a grant of £1,000 towards the PCC’s shortfall. This allowed the PCC to commission the work promptly.

Sowton PCC would like to thank the Devon Historic Churches Trust for the generous grant. Without it, we would not have been able to address this issue as swiftly as we were able to do with the Trust’s help.

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Totnes United Free Church DHCT Case Study

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Totnes Free Church

Where: Totnes United Free Church

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Works to flat roof and chimnehy

DHCT Grant Awarded: £5,000

Total Project Fund: £18,028

Date of DHCT Grant Award: April 2025

Project Start: June 2025

Project End: April 2026

Overview

Originally built in 1877 as a chapel with a vestry, previous congregations have over the years added on to the main building a church hall and extra rooms; improved accessibility, and removed pews for a more functional worship space. In recent years the building has for various reasons not been the priority, and now we have leaking roofs, damp, mold, and walls and windows in need of urgent repair.
At the church’s recent vision evening when a SWOT analysis was carried out, the building was the only aspect of church life that appeared in all four boxes. As a membership we want to eradicate the threat, minimise the weaknesses, and maximise the strengths and opportunities that our building affords us to work out our vision. The plan for improving our facilities and making the building watertight and warm will enable us to provide better quality accommodation for our guests and expand the services we provide. We are delighted to host a number of community initiatives and partner with them in meeting people‘s needs. We value these partnerships and see them along with our own projects as a response to the Biblical call on God’s people in Matthew 25:35

The Grant Application & Project

The Grant Application and Phase 1 works
The disused chimney is in poor condition with large open sections of cracked flaunching where the render has failed and has fallen away. The chimney pots and flues are also open to water ingress. The render is also in poor condition. The chimney should be taken down to roof level, capped off and slated over. The roof over the office is in poor condition with numerous ‘flash band’ type patch repairs, with a build up of algae (very slippery), vegetation and debris, such as broken slates and pieces of render. The roof appears to be leaking as there is staining to the ceiling.
Quinquennial Report produced by Ray Clarke MCIOB, Tech IOSH October 2024

The total cost of phase 1 is £18,027.60 of which the DHCT has given a grant of £5,000 with the rest raised from the church membership, local Charitable Trusts and the Benefact Trust

The Trustees and membership of Totnes United Free Church are most grateful to the Trustees of the DHCT for the grant of £5,000 as this not only allowed work to begin, but was evidence in other successful funding bids.

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: Chimney

: Effects of water ingress

: Flat roof before repair

: Roof after repair

Christ Church Paignton DHCT Case Study

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Christ Church Paignton

Where: Christ Church Paignton

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Phase 2 Roof Repairs

DHCT Grant Awarded: £3,930

Total Project Fund: £4716

Date of DHCT Grant Award: October 2025

Project Start: February 2026

Project End: In progress

Overview

Christ Church is located in one of Devon’s most deprived areas, serving as a beacon of hope, connection, and support for residents of all ages. Alongside weekly Sunday services, the building hosts a variety of activities, including baby and toddler groups, orchestras, community events, and programmes for local schools. It is becoming an integral part of community life. However, during heavy rainfall, the building’s condition has deteriorated significantly.

The Grant Application & Project

Due to the urgency of the repairs required, the PCC committed to funding these repairs from their restricted reserves and fundraising efforts. We were seeking funds to support further roof repairs (phase 2) to address water ingress on the other side of the building, around the organ. We had to place a greenhouse heater to serves as a dehumidifier in the organ room. This is, of course, no long-term solution. The planned repairs will replace broken slates and remove growth from around the chimney stack, which is above the ventilation systems. These works were highlighted by the Quinquennial and a roof survey conducted earlier this year.

Repairs are underway as you can see from the photographs.

The PCC is extremely grateful for the contribution made by Devon Historic Churches Trust. The congregation and community can now come together, without getting wet and falling over buckets of water!

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St Mary’s, Cofton DHCT Case Study

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Cofton St Mary Church

Where: St Mary’s, Cofton

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Repairs as per Quinquennial Report

DHCT Grant Awarded: £3,000

Total Project Fund: £12985 excl vat

Date of DHCT Grant Award: October 2025

Project Start: September 2025

Project End: October 2025

Overview

Originally a C13 chapel which fell into ruin and became a dissenting chapel in the C17, St Mary’s was restored and brought back into use in 1839 by William Courtenay, 10th Earl of Devon (1777-1859) of Powderham Castle. Charles Fowler was the architect at that time. North aisle added in 1864. Built of stone rubble, the lower part of the walls is mediaeval. Slate roof. Renewed lancet windows. Aisle and porch are late C19. It is Grade II Listed – Entry Number 1164212.
St Mary’s, Cofton is a small, attractive listed building nestled in one corner of the parish of Cofton. This parish includes the village of Cockwood, half a mile down the lane, the hamlet of Eastdon, and Dawlish Warren with its holiday parks and new developments. It has weekly services, is visited by holidaymakers and is used by the local village school.

The Grant Application & Project

A Quinquennial fabric report found numerous concerns and a property conservation and renovation company provided a quotation. We are a small parish and whilst fundraising and drawing on reserves assisted us, we were extremely grateful to receive a grant from Devon Historic Churches Trust for £3,000.00 towards our essential repairs which included:

– External vestry walls – removing cement pointing and repoint with lime and sharp sand mortar.
– Internal vestry walls – removing existing cement render back to stone, replaster in lime mortar and redecorate with heritage paint.
– Window guards – removing broken and rusted window guards and replacing them with stainless steel, powder coated black window guards.
– Window supports – removing corroded metal stained glass supports, making good any damage to the window reveals and replacing the supports with stainless steel ones.

The PCC is extremely thankful for the contribution made by Devon Historic Churches Trust to enable us to keep our beautiful church cared for for future generations

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Devon Historic Churches Trust Newsletter November 2025

Newsletters, Who Are We?

In this issue:

Devon Historic Churches Fun Day 2025 – read how parishes raised funds for this year’s fun day
Goodbye to Mary Burnell-Nugent who retired as Chair of the Trust
Could you be our next Chair? Contact our Vice Chair, Nick Fennemore for more details
Recruiting Deanery Representatives

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Christ Church Paignton DHCT Case Study

Case Studies, Who Are We?

Christ Church Paignton

Where: Christ Church Paignton

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Urgent Electrical Work

DHCT Grant Awarded: £1,300

Total Project Fund: £2,544

Date of DHCT Grant Award: September 2025

Project Start: September 2025

Project End: October 2025

Overview

A Grade II listed church in Paignton, successfully completed an essential repair project thanks to the generous support from the DHCT.

The Grant Application & Project

Following a serious break-in in October 2024 that resulted in the theft of all the church’s silver, the PCC took steps to enhance safety. A subsequent fire risk assessment identified urgent electrical and lighting upgrades needed to protect the building and its users. With the grant secured, we carried out several works in the church building. These included rewiring (emergency) lighting, and various additional power supplies.

We were grateful for the swift response of the Trust (within 4 days of submission we received their grant notification letter and are incredibly thankful that they were able to support this essential work

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: Electrics before repair

: Electrics after repair

: Electrics before repair

: Electrics after repair

St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy DHCT Case Study

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St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy

Where: St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Re-fix and strengthen the fixture of 24 pilasters

DHCT Grant Awarded: £4,000.00

Total Project Fund: £9,871.20

Date of DHCT Grant Award: Oct 2025

Project Start: Sept 2025

Project End: Completed

Overview

Following driving rain and heavy winds in April this year, a crocket pinnacle from the church tower fell onto the church roof, causing damage to the slates. The steeplejacks report revealed 3 further pilasters were loose and safely removed two of them. The third proved too difficult to remove and we were advised to re-fix and strengthen the fixture of all 24 pilasters as soon as possible.

Additionally, a new crack appeared at the top of the tower under the north-east pinnacle. We obtained a faculty advising strengthening the corner with stainless steel rods.

The Grant Application & Project

The pilaster was moved in May by the steeplejacks when they conducted their survey of the tower. The roof was repaired by the church’s builder in June.

A faculty to replace and repair the stonework was obtained in July. The insurance cover provided for the cost of repairs directly caused by the storm.

The additional costs of strengthening the pilasters and repairing the crack at the top of the tower were not covered by the church insurance. The quote for this is £12,756.

The steeplejacks returned in September and completed their work on the tower in October. The photo shows the repairs to the crack at the top of the tower, and two of the re-instated pilasters. The rest have also been pinned to the stonework.

The PCC and Rector of St Peter & St Paul gratefully thank Devon Historic Churches Trust for their support and grant aid towards this essential work. The grant award provides a substantial sum of the total funds which need to be raised and has provided a much-needed moral boost to the congregation

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: St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy broken pilaster & roof damage

: St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy repaired pilaster

: St Peter & St Paul Holsworthy repaired pilaster in place

St Mary the Virgin Bickington DHCT Case Study

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Bickington Church

Where: St Mary the Virgin, Bickington

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Repairs to the roof

DHCT Grant Awarded: £6,000.00

Total Project Fund: £35,308.66

Date of DHCT Grant Award: 28th April 2025

Project Start: 1st July 2025

Project End: TBC

Overview

Repairs to the roof, tower leadwork and mortar repairs. Lychgate roof repairs, Vestry roof repairs and replacement of plastic gutters & downpipes with cast iron.

The Grant Application & Project

The roof of Bickington’s Grade I Listed historic church in the heart of the village is in need of essential repair to protect the building from the storms, rain and strong wind that we experience more often. In 1952 John Betjeman wrote in The Telegraph, “Time damages an old building as effectively as bombs. Gutters have to be kept clear, interiors heated and ventilated, small repairs carried out before they become big repairs”. Bickington Church needs “big repairs”!

Main roof. In 2024 a generous donation by a member of the church community kickstarted Phase 1 of ‘Repair the Church Roof’ project with £2,000 towards refixing/replacing roof slates on the main church roof. Replace rainwater system. The existing plastic system is inadequate to manage the exceptional levels of rain experienced in recent years. Replacement cast iron guttering, downpipes and hoppers is essential to mitigate the effects of global warming.

Vestry Roof. The repair of the roof was essential to prevent further water ingress, damp, mould and damage to the interior plasterwork. The Vestry was unusable in its deteriorating condition. Archdeacon Douglas granted a List B faculty for the repair work and the D C C, secured EIG approval for the scaffolding and security arrangements. The D C C contracted John Mayne Stonemason and Tor View Roofing to undertake the Vestry roof coping stone repairs and leadwork flashings and we were very pleased with the high standard of workmanship and care taken throughout the contract period.

The award of a grant from Devon Historic Churches Trust encouraged the wider community to support the ‘Repair the Roof’ project. A further £10,000 grant funding was secured (including Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme), plus generous individual donations totalling £3,200 plus community fund raising events raised £2,600. It was an amazing achievement by a small rural community. The Vestry roof lead flashings have been replaced. A skilled stonemason has repaired the coping stones and replaced those beyond repair with 4 new Bath coping stones. Further leadwork repairs have been made to the main roof to ensure that the church roof is watertight. The project is ongoing with quotations now sought for replacement of plastic rainwater goods, cast iron gutters, downpipes and new hoppers, to improve the capacity of rainwater flow. There is still much to do. Bickington Parish Churchwarden and District Church Council are grateful for the DHCT grant that is helping the community with the ongoing challenge of repairing and preserving their Grade 1 listed historic church for future generations.

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: St Mary the Virgin, Bickington parapet leadwork pre coping stones

: St Mary the Virgin, Bickington coping-stones work in progress 2

: St Mary the Virgin, Bickington coping-stones work in progress 1

St Mary’s Croyde DHCT Case Study

Case Studies, Who Are We?

St Mary's Croyde.

Where: St Mary’s, Croyde

Location: Google Maps

The Works: Roof repairs

DHCT Grant Awarded: £1,000.00

Total Project Fund: £6.000.00

Date of DHCT Grant Award: May 2025

Project Start: June 2025

Project End: Completed

Overview

A Grade II listed church opened in 1874 ‘for the accommodation of parishioners residing at a
distance from the Parish Church (St George’s Church, in Georgeham) some as far as 3 miles. A
portion of the building is to be used as an Infant School on weekdays, a Sunday School, and for night
school in the winter months. The church will also be a great boon for families visiting “the sands” in
the summer season.’ (Extract from The North Devon Journal – Herald, 23rd July 1874)

The Grant Application & Project

During late Autumn 2024, there was a storm with winds unusually from the North. Part way through
a service one Sunday, we could hear some dripping sounds, the rain was coming in from the gully on
the rear of the church; we grabbed some bins & bowls to catch the water that was coming in.
We had a couple of slates replaced, which ended up as a temporary fix, as it wasn’t long before we
had buckets back in place.

To ensure this wasn’t just a short-term fix, it would be necessary for the slates on the lefthand side
of the gully to be removed as there were still a number of broken slates and many nails that had
rusted through, which in turn had resulted in rotten batons and holes in the leadwork, all of which
needed repairing or replacing before the slates were re-layed. We had also identified that the barge
boards & capping boards on the whole of the rear roof were rotting, so we needed to have this work
done at the same time – with the total estimated cost being just under £6,000, including VAT.

This unexpected cost was beyond the congregation and in need of urgent attention so we appealed
for help to our local community through our parish magazine who generously gave £3,800, some of
whom have no direct association with the church. We also secured a grant of £500 from Croyde
Area Residents Association. Our application for an emergency grant of £1,000 from DHCT was
approved which enabled us to instruct the roofers to start work; we anticipate the VAT being paid by
the LPW grant scheme.

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: St Mary's Croyde damaged roof

: St Mary's Croyde repairs in progress

: St Mary's Croyde roof after repairs