Time is running out for a Herefordshire church which has received world-wide attention thanks to its spectacular ‘wedding cake’ interior design.
The Grade I listed church of St John the Evangelist at Shobdon is listed as “gravely threatened” due to structural weaknesses.
Although English Heritage received a grant of £680,000 towards the £1million restoration costs, plus pledges of help from across the Atlantic, an additional £150,000 has to be found before the January deadline.
Sadly, problems in the external fabric are said to be putting pressure on the remarkable early Gothic Revival interiors which draw a significant number of visitors every year.
Shobdon, with its 13th century tower and nave and chancel rebuilt in the mid-18th century, came into focus when it appeared on World Monuments Fund’s watch list of endangered sites in 2009.
An international charity, the WMF, dedicated to the preservation of endangered historic sites as well as the US-based Paul Mellon Fund have pledged to assist Shobdon Church as efforts are made to close a funding gap of £200,000 to secure a much-needed restoration programme.
Recently, the WMF announced a contribution from the Paul Mellon Fund, the gift made on a matching basis with donations, up to £40,000.
Even with this welcome news, an additional £150,000 is needed, and with the deadline only weeks away, the English Heritage grant is at risk if extra funds are not raised.
Shobdon Church Preservation Trust and World Monuments Fund are pulling out all the stops to close the gap. But they need help and so a call goes out to the people of Herefordshire this Christmas to help save this architectural masterpiece.
Chairman of World Monuments Fund Britain, James Hervey-Bathurst, an ambassador for tourism in Herefordshire: said: “Shobdon is one of our great Herefordshire churches, a star of our wonderful built heritage. It must be saved.”
The striking Rococo-infused ‘Gothick’ style is believed to be heavily influenced by Richard Bateman of Shobdon, a friend of eccentric collector Horace Walpole, whose house, Strawberry Hill in Twickenham, influenced the decorative interior.
As with all parish churches, St John’s is cared for by the local community but Shobdon is well-known enough to have influenced churches overseas, including an example in Virginia.
Anyone who makes a donation as a gift this Christmas will receive a colour-illustrated, specially wrapped guide on the church from World Monuments Fund, to give as a gift together with a letter to mark their support.
To give and make a difference go to http://www.wmf. org.uk/projects/view/shobdon church or call the World Monuments Fund Office on 0207 730 5344.