Photo credit: PCC of St Botolph’s, Hardham
Towards the end of June, St Botolph’s church in Hardham played host to representatives from Historic England, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Church of England who met with dedicated local churchwardens and Julian Vallis as their inspecting architect, in support with the Diocese of Chichester.
The meeting of minds was to see firsthand the issues facing St Botolph’s. The 11th century church which lies south of Pulborough faces challenges that risk not only the beautiful exterior (which has examples of Roman brickwork) but the magnificent interior, home to the impressive 900-year old medieval frescos that are part of the Lewes Group.
In 2024 the church was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and efforts are now underway to better understand the condition and environment, with hopes that a major conservation project might be undertaken with research opportunities closely linked.
The future for St Botolph’s is looking bright but further help will be needed to protect its future legacy, and the parish is currently exploring how it can involve the community in protecting Hardham’s heritage. We look forward to continuing to support them on this journey.
Our thanks to Daniel Lee , Church Buildings Support Officer at Chichester Diocese, for providing the copy for inclusion in this post.
More of our ecclesiastical projects can be viewed here.
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