St Andrew’s Church Soham is celebrating the successful completion of a project supported by The National Lottery Heritage Fund which saw £350,000 of essential repair work undertaken to the grade-1 listed medieval building.
Thanks to National Lottery players, the project repaired and replaced roofs and rainwater goods, and restored masonry and roof timbers in the church transepts. Capital work was led by local company, H Austwick Roofing Ltd. Generous match funding was provided by private donors, Cambridgeshire Historic Churches Trust, and Thalia
The church building dates from the twelfth century and sits on the site of a significant medieval abbey which was founded by Felix of East Anglia in AD 631; Felix is credited with bringing Christianity to East Anglia.
Alongside the building work was an exciting programme of activities themed around the church’s early history. Students from Soham’s schools were able to see the building works up close during hardhat tours, and to explore heritage craft as a potential career at a series of ‘have-a-go’ heritage craft workshops, some students even became archaeologists as they undertook a weeklong community dig in local gardens.
Soham’s Vicar, the Revd Eleanor Whalley said, ‘it has been fantastic to work with our local schools on this project and give local young people the opportunity to try a range of activities they would not normally get to experience.
The repairs carried out should secure this part of the building for the next hundred years, but there is still much work to do to remove St Andrew’s Church from Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register, and we are already looking to the next project.’
A medieval fair from 1200 noon to 4pm on Saturday 6 July 2024 will celebrate the end of the project. Visitors can look forward to a historical extravaganza which includes fighting knights in the churchyard, have-a-go archery, medieval storytelling and puppet shows, circus skills and heritage craft demos, as well as representation for local history societies and over 35 craft stalls. The event is free to enter, and everyone is welcome.
*Photo credit: Mark Fairhurst