Brompton Regis church has secured £162,000 Heritage Lottery funding to tackle its tower problems.

The medieval tower of St Mary’s Church at Brompton Regis will be 800 years old in 2020, and has been absorbing water through the centuries. The effects inside the church have become acute in recent years, with green mould and peeling plaster on the walls, and puddles on the floor in very wet periods. The damp atmosphere has become a threat to the church’s historically important Thomas Lewis organ, and the building has been placed on the At Risk register by Historic England.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has now come into partnership with the Parochial Church Council to address the problem decisively. Having committed some legacy money to the project, the PCC has been raising further funds and is approaching the final target, but the major part of the cost is being borne by the HLF. Preliminary drilling and other investigative works have been completed, and the full repair and conservation project will get underway on 6 August. It will last nearly a year and will involve complete re-grouting and repointing, stonework repairs, a new tower roof and improved ground drainage. It will be guided by Alan Smith of Smith Gamblin, a Bridgwater-based architectural company, and carried out by Carrek Ltd, a Bristol-based company specialising in historic buildings.

Churchwarden Malcolm Miller said: “The parish is hugely appreciative of the HLF’s commitment to conserving this important part of its heritage for present and future generations.”

The church has also received £10,000 from the National Churches Trust, together with £3,000 each from the Somerset Churches Trust and Allchurches Trust, plus several smaller but much-appreciated grants from other charities, and this support will enable the complete realisation of the project.