Appeal to raise £120,000 to save Middleton-in-Teesdale church

VILLAGERS are hoping to raise money for a £120,000 restoration job on a historic Teesdale church and aim to start work before winter takes its toll.

A failing roof structure means that the rot is already setting in at St Mary’s, in Middleton-in-Teesdale. Plaster is peeling off the walls and falling down on the pews below as the damp comes in through the walls.

Water is seeping in dangerously close to the electricity supply and fresh cracks are opening up at the Victorian church’s interior every week. The north side of the roof is so wet it’s covered by moss and the gutters have been dubbed the “hanging gardens of Middleton-in-Teesdale”. A chunk of downspout has also collapsed and parts of the exterior are visibly damp.

The guttering and roofing system that can no longer cope and experts say it is beyond the stage of clearing and patching up.

Worshippers have applied for a Heritage Lottery Fund grant worth £60,000. If that is approved, further grants are likely to fall into place. Villagers have set up a fundraising appeal to get the remainder of the money, about £20,000.

Revd Alison Wallbank said: “If we leave it another year, everything is going to get even more damp. We want to start this October because the thought of how much more damage a nasty Teesdale winter will do doesn’t bear thinking about.

“We have got such a hidden historic treasure here – it’s so important.”

If the Heritage Lottery Fund gives the money, the congregation aims to put the church on the “heritage map” with displays, booklets and events.

St Mary’s was built in Victorian times but an ecclesiastic building has been at the site for 800 years. The old medieval window survives in the graveyard above a wildflower meadow – a popular spot for photographers.

Inside, medieval gravestones adorn the walls, overlooked by intricate stained-glass windows, one of which celebrates the Teesdale leadmining poet Richard Watson while another depicts a Teesdale shepherd meeting the Good Shepherd.

There are also Latin-inscribed plaques dating to the 1700s and an old bishop’s chair. St Mary’s is also only one of two churches in the country to have its bell tower in a separate building – in this case about 50 feet away.

But all of this is under threat if money is not raised by the community, Ms Wallbank said. The funds would pay for new guttering, repointing the east wall, and replacing coping stones and soak-aways. The cost is compounded by the need for special scaffolding due to the church’s double roof. After the interior dries out, this too would receive craftsmen’s attention. Lighting will also be installed to show the church in all its splendour.

Since 2016, more than £6,000 has been raised by villages at events such as the flower festival at the church, which is now open every day.

People are being asked to each donate a “fiver a foot” to help pay for the 310 feet of cast iron guttering.

“We really need to raise the money now because we are worried about it being a dangerous place to worship. We have a regular congregation of 20 to 25, but when there’s a funeral or a baptism, we get 300 people in here. It’s a village church and it’s expected to be here – but we need help.

“It costs £400 a week just to maintain the church and pay for things like heating and insurance.”

To donate, visit www.give.net/stmarymint. People can also donate by texting MINT00 £5 to 70070 or sending money to church treasurer Joan Staley at 38 Hill Terrace, Middleton, DL12 0SL.