Broadcaster Huw Edwards welcomes grant for Hastings church

St Clement’s Church in the Old Town will receive a £30,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant.

The money comes from a funding package of more than £473,000 from the National Churches Trust.

The Grade II* listed building will also get a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant from the Wolfson Foundation, on the recommendation of the National Churches Trust.

Broadcaster and journalist Huw Edwards, vice-president of The National Churches Trust, said: “I’m delighted that the ancient and historic St Clement’s church in Hastings is being helped with a £30,000 National Churches Trust Cornerstone Grant and a £5,000 Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant.

“The grants will help fund much-needed repairs, safeguarding unique local heritage and help St Clement continue to support local people.”

St Clement is built on a site in the north-east part of the Old Town, which was acquired in 1286, after an earlier church had been destroyed by the sea.

The replacement was destroyed by a French raid in 1377. Nothing of it remains, though some historians point to some rough masonry in the north aisle, as possible evidence of the original building.

The present church of St Clement is a large church on an irregular plan, rebuilt in the early 15th century.

The church was remodelled in the Victorian period, with new south windows and a south porch.

William Butterfield, the eminent British architect who was prominent in the Gothic Revival, replaced roofs, removed interior galleries and other internal fitments in 1856.

The work will see masonry and window repaired and in some cases replaced.

Gareth Bendon, churchwarden, overseeing the restoration project on behalf of the church, said: “St Clements’s church has stood at the heart of the historic community of Hastings for more than 600 years, serving the pastoral and spiritual needs of local people through good times and bad.

“Time and the weather have taken their toll of the ancient stonework, but this project will keep the building sound for centuries to come.”