A Church for Today ~ A Legacy for Tomorrow
A Heritage Project to repair and develop the Parish Church of St. Peter and St. Paul, Pickering
How the Project was born
As often happens, the origin of this project was the relatively simple task of cleaning and conserving our Medieval wall paintings.
Professor Kate Giles (seen here presenting a copy of her book to the King during his visit to see the paintings in 2023) is the Director of the Centre for the Study of Christianity and Culture at the University of York and has had a very long association with the paintings of Pickering Church. Her passion for them, her desire to share their history and to preserve them for future generations to enjoy has been the driving force for this part of the project.
Funding, which she secured from the University in 2024 allowed us to commission Tobit Curteis of Tobit Curteis Associates in Cambridge, one of Britain's eminent restorers of such paintings, to survey ours and produce a full report on their condition, and the remedial work that would be needed to conserve and clean them. The last time any work of this nature was carried out was in 1968.
Tobit’s report highlighted that, although they were generally in a good state, there were several areas of major concern. There was widespread salt efflorescence and delamination and flaking of the paint layer. But of most concern was the soaking wall behind St George, caused by a blocked downpipe outside (as this infrared image shows). This meant that not only did we need to clean and conserve the paintings, but we needed to upgrade the rainwater goods all around the church to make them suitable for the increased amounts of rain that we now experience as well as making them less likely to block up.
But then…
Following an inspection of the Parish Hall in Hallgarth in 2023, it was concluded that a considerable amount of money (£100k +) was needed to carry out repairs and bring the hall up to date in order to continue to use it. Income from hiring out the building was never very great and it would therefore take many decades to recoup this expenditure.
It was felt that from a church point of view, any event we would usually have hosted in the hall could be held in the church itself, if we had better catering facilities and increased and accessible toilets.
Following an inspection of the Parish Hall in Hallgarth in 2023, it was concluded that a considerable amount of money (£100k +) was needed to carry out repairs and bring the hall up to date in order to continue to use it. Income from hiring out the building was never very great and it would therefore take many decades to recoup this expenditure.
It was felt that from a church point of view, any event we would usually have hosted in the hall could be held in the church itself, if we had better catering facilities and increased and accessible toilets.
So it was decided to sell the parish hall, with the money raised from this sale going specifically towards improving the facilities in the main church. We obtained full planning permission to convert the hall into two dwellings and it found a purchaser in October 2024. The sale finally completed in May 2026.
So we now need to develop the facilities within the church to allow us to use the building for much more than regular services. We want it to become a major cultural asset for Pickering, but we need better and more accessible toilets and better catering provision as well as an office and meeting room.
Also…
In 2024, during a regular 5 yearly inspection of the fabric of the church by our Architect, it was found that the roofs of both the Chancel and the South Transept needed to be renewed as is evident from the staining of the ceiling in both areas. Also, in line with Tobit’s report, the rainwater goods and drainage need to be upgraded to cope with the quantity and intensity of rainfall we are now experiencing.
These three items have now been combined to create a programme of works with the aim of repairing and conserving the church building and making it fit for use for the next generations of Pickering residents.
The Project
The project is planned to be completed in the next three years and will be in two phases:
Phase 1 will be to make the building watertight and dry by repairing the roofs and renewing the rainwater goods around the Chancel and South Transept. This is planned to be carried out this year, 2026.
This is being partly funded by an ancient covenant called Chancel Liability, which is the responsibility of the Church Commissioners. They will cover 88.45% of the cost of the Chancel roof (and other repairs to the Chancel area), but the PCC of Pickering Church have to cover the remaining 11.55% plus all the cost of the South Transept roof.
The cost of Phase 1 is in the region of £250k, of which Pickering Parish Church need to find approximately £100k. We currently have an Appeal in progress to raise this money. We are also applying to Charities and Fund giving bodies and we will be holding a series of fundraising events throughout the year.
This is being partly funded by an ancient covenant called Chancel Liability, which is the responsibility of the Church Commissioners. They will cover 88.45% of the cost of the Chancel roof (and other repairs to the Chancel area), but the PCC of Pickering Church have to cover the remaining 11.55% plus all the cost of the South Transept roof.
The cost of Phase 1 is in the region of £250k, of which Pickering Parish Church need to find approximately £100k. We currently have an Appeal in progress to raise this money. We are also applying to Charities and Fund giving bodies and we will be holding a series of fundraising events throughout the year.
The first stage of Phase 2 will see the demolition and rebuilding of the existing 1930’s vestry, which is in a very poor state of repair and suffers with damp. We want to create a larger, modern, dry building with the facilities we need to widen the use of the church building. All the remaining rainwater goods will be upgraded and there will be a new underground rainwater disposal system. This is planned for 2027
The second stage of Phase 2 is, once all the dirty work is out of the way, to clean and conserve the Medieval Wall Paintings. Planned for 2028
The second stage of Phase 2 is, once all the dirty work is out of the way, to clean and conserve the Medieval Wall Paintings. Planned for 2028
We intend to apply to the Heritage Lottery Fund to fund all of phase 2. The proceeds from the sale of the Parish Hall, along with a very generous legacy given last year specifically for the preservation of the Wall Paintings will provide match funding for this bid.
How you can help
At this point in time, we are concentrating on raising the £100,000 to complete the work on the roofs.
If you would like to make a donation towards this, please follow the link below and select Roof Appeal. If you can also Gift Aid your donation, that will allow us to collect 25% extra.
With many thanks for your support.
The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter and St Paul, Pickering
If you would like to make a donation towards this, please follow the link below and select Roof Appeal. If you can also Gift Aid your donation, that will allow us to collect 25% extra.
With many thanks for your support.
The Parochial Church Council of The Ecclesiastical Parish of St Peter and St Paul, Pickering