Sir Robert McAlpine to restore St Marylebone Church

Sir Robert McAlpine has won a deal to restore the Grade-I-listed St Marylebone Parish Church in London.

The church, built in 1817, is on the Historic England
Buildings at Risk Register because its roof is failing and needs to be replaced
with a new Welsh slate roof.

The poor state of the church’s ceiling also threatens its ability to remain open, while the crypt will be refurbished and the Portico steps and pavement will be repaired. A new lift and staircase down to the crypt will also be installed.

The scheme, which will see the church remain open during the
works, has been designed by heritage architecture firm Caroe Architecture.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund has pledged nearly £3m
towards the cost of the project, with another £2m received in grants from other
benefactors, trusts and foundations. The government’s Listed Places of Worship
VAT recovery scheme will also see the church claim back another £1.2m for the
scheme, although it still needs to raise another £2m to fund the works.

Work on the project started this month and is expected to
run until May 2022.