Kendal Parish Church has secured more than £3 million from The National Lottery Heritage Fund towards a £4.3 million conservation and improvement project, allowing urgent work on one of the town’s most important historic buildings to move forward.
The Diocese of Carlisle says the restoration will focus on the church’s 15th-century tower and the roof of the Bellingham Chapel. The work is intended to help remove the church from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, where it has been listed since 2024.
A building at the heart of Kendal’s history
The Grade I-listed church is the oldest building in Kendal still being used for its intended purpose. It was recorded in the Domesday Book in 1086, although historians now believe there has been a church on the site since before that date. The main part of the current building dates from the 13th century.
Its history reflects the development of the town. The church and its artefacts tell stories connected with Anglo-Saxon Christianity, the Reformation, the wool trade, the Civil War and the Border Regiment.
The building remains a place of worship and a community hub, as well as a heritage landmark visited by more than 7,000 people each year.
New spaces, exhibitions and lower emissions
Alongside the conservation work, the Diocese of Carlisle plans to create flexible spaces in the outer aisles. These are intended to support community use and help explain the church’s history through learning opportunities, exhibitions and events.
The church’s heating system will also be reworked to reduce carbon emissions. The project is therefore expected to combine repairs to the historic fabric with changes aimed at making the building more useful and sustainable for future visitors and local groups.
The Revd Canon Shanthi Peiris, Vicar of Kendal Parish Church, said the funding meant the church could proceed with its plans. She said: “This project captures what is so special about heritage and community in Kendal. The church has been a central feature of the town’s identity for over a thousand years and we are now able to play our part in ensuring this will continue for future generations.”
She also confirmed that the church will remain open for worship and other activities while the project is under way.
Helen Featherstone, Director of England, North at The National Lottery Heritage Fund, said the organisation was pleased to support the plans. She said: “The church will also create flexible spaces to welcome the next generation to explore the church and to safeguard its important heritage for the future.”
The award marks the next step in efforts to protect Kendal Parish Church while keeping it active as a place of worship, learning and community life.