Ely cathedral's prayers answered as grant kickstarts vital repairs on landmark tower

Ely Cathedral has received a vital grant from the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund to restart work on its historic tower.

The cathedral - known as the Ship of the Fens - will share part of £103 million set aside to restart work on cherished heritage sites.

It's one of 445 organisations across the country to benefit from a share of the money to see historic buildings through the pandemic.The funding allocated to the Cathedral is to support urgent repairs to Ely’s medieval Lantern Tower, which has serious damage to the lead roof cladding.

This had led to serious leaks and internal erosion directly to the area underneath whichincluded the principal altar and Octagon floor – both of which had to be kept covered to protect them from rainwater leaking through the roof.

The cathedral said financial challenges brought on by Covid-19 meant the urgent repairs could not have happened without the help from the Culture Recovery Fund.

Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said it was important to preserve the heritage of the nation.

The Dean of Ely, The Very Revd Mark Bonney, said it was important to keep the medieval building safe for the future.