Newcastle Cathedral Awarded £305,000 for Repairs and Access

Newcastle Cathedral has been awarded £305,463 to carry out repairs and make the building easier to visit. The money is from the first round of the Places of Worship Renewal Fund, run by Historic England.

The Grade I listed Cathedral Church of St Nicholas is one of the city's best-known landmarks, with its lantern tower above St Nicholas Street. Like many historic churches, it has a long list of repairs to keep on top of.

What the money will pay for

The grant will cover:

• repairs to the roof and floors
• better accessible toilets
• a new lift to replace one that has broken down
• an access audit and new security measures
• feasibility studies for future repairs and for renewable energy

The Dean of Newcastle, the Very Rev Lee Batson, said: "Keeping the Cathedral in good repair is a constant responsibility and constant challenge."

A national fund for places of worship

The Places of Worship Renewal Fund is worth £92 million over four years. It is funded by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and run by Historic England. In the first round, 51 places of worship across England were funded. Newcastle and Birmingham were the only Anglican cathedrals on the list. Closer to home, Our Lady and St Columba in Wallsend also received funding.

Best for: Newcastle Cathedral is on St Nicholas Square, NE1 1PF, close to the Castle Keep and the Black Gate. It is free to enter.

The award was reported by Newcastle Magazine and North East Bylines. Anglican Ink covered the full first round of awards.