Historic Meols Hall in Southport has today been awarded £125,000 from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund.
The money will enable the landmark venue in Churchtown to secure ongoing restoration and conservation of items such as books and paintings.
It will also enable the endless replacement of the fabric of the house such as window frames, gutters and tiles.
Meols Hall dates back to the 15th century and has remained in the same hands for 27 generations.
All of these are ongoing necessities to keep Meols Hall as the owners have promised to – a gem of the North West, redolent with history and hope for the future.
Meols Hall owner Catherine Hesketh said: We are delighted to announce that we have been awarded £125,000 from the National Heritage Culture Fund.
“This will enable us to provide for the treasured buildings and collection of Meols Hall.
“The knock-on effect of Covid-19 threatened the very existence of Meols Hall: the collection, the buildings themselves, the weddings, the local events and fundraisers were all under threat if the Government had not stepped in. Thank you.”
Meols Hall is one of 445 heritage organisations across the country which will receive a lifesaving financial boost from the government thanks to the £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund to help them through the coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 445 organisations will share £103 million, including Meols Hall and The Atkinson in Southport, to help restart vital reconstruction work and maintenance on cherished heritage sites, keeping venues open and supporting those working in the sector.
With no weddings able to take place at the moment, Meols Hall has a huge gap in its funding, but the award will help it to ride the current storm.
The wedding business is small but its contribution to the local community is considerable, from the caterer, to the cake maker, the photographer, the florist, the DJ, the classic car company, the glass hire folk, to the rubbish collectors and so many more, the symbiotic relationship between Meols Hall and the community is worth preserving.
A Meols Hall spokesperson said: “It doesn’t look as though there will be any viable weddings for a long time to come.
“The grant will give the staff an opportunity to Covid-proof Meols Hall and come up with imaginative alternatives for our buildings, grounds and our community.
“Perhaps we will take a leaf out of the venue in Chelmsford’s book and start drive-in weddings.
“We are now in a position to move forward thanks to the Culture Recovery Fund.”
Read More: Atkinson in Southport awarded £203,934 to stage Christmas panto and host exhibitions
This vital funding is from the Culture Recovery Fund for Heritage and the Heritage Stimulus Fund – funded by the Government and administered at arm’s length by Historic England and the National Lottery Heritage Fund.
Both funds are part of the Government’s £1.57 billion Culture Recovery Fund which is designed to secure the future of Britain’s museums, galleries, theatres, independent cinemas, heritage sites and music venues with emergency grants and loans.
Other famous heritage sites across the country will receive funding, from Wentworth Woodhouse in Yorkshire to Blackpool’s Winter Gardens, Blyth Tall Ship to the Severn Valley Railway, the International Bomber Command Centre in Lincolnshire to the Piece Hall in Halifax. The funds will save sites that are a source of pride for communities across the country.
Culture Secretary Oliver Dowden said: “As a nation it is essential that we preserve our heritage and celebrate and learn from our past. This massive support package will protect our shared heritage for future generations, save jobs and help us prepare for a cultural bounceback post covid.”
Lucy Worsley, Chief Curator, Historic Royal Palaces, said: “There’s no truer way to experience the past than to walk in the footsteps of those who have lived it – that’s why preserving our built heritage is so important.
“At Historic Royal Palaces, we care for six nationally significant buildings, opening them to the public and preserving them for future generations. Sadly, the pandemic meant that we had to stop some of our critical conservation work. The grant we have received from the Culture Recovery Fund will enable this work to resume – so we can give some of Britain’s most historic buildings the care and attention they deserve, while supporting the specialist craftspeople who are vital for the future of our national heritage. We are enormously grateful to the Government for this support.”
Meols Hall, the Tithe Barn and adjacent buildings and grounds are conditionally exempted properties on grounds of their national interest.
Redolent with history, Meols Hall is the oldest manor house in Southport, dating back to the 15th century and has remained in the same hands for 27 generations.
It was extensively remodelled in the 1960s by Roger Hesketh and features in, among other books, The Latest Country Houses, 1945-83 by John Martin Robinson. It houses a fine collection of family paintings, furniture and china.
Catherine Hesketh said: “Sadly, we couldn’t open to the public this year, but the building doesn’t just self mothball, the collection doesn’t stop needing conservation just because Covid gets in the way of visiting.
“Thanks to this grant we will open next year in fine order and will have put in place measures that will ensure that staff and visitors are safe.
“We will host fundraising events and our magical weddings.
“We will continue and we will be an even shinier star in the firmament of Southport.”
Duncan Wilson, Historic England’s Chief Executive said: “It is heartening to see grants, both large and small, from the Government’s Culture Recovery Fund helping heritage sites and organisations across the country which have been hit hard by the effects of Covid-19.
“These grants range from giving skilled craft workers the chance to keep their trades alive to helping heritage organisations pay the bills, and to kick-starting repair works at our best-loved historic sites.
“The funding is an essential lifeline for our heritage and the people who work tirelessly to conserve it for us all, so that we can hand it on to future generations.”
Ros Kerslake, Chief Executive of the National Lottery Heritage Fund said: “It is absolutely right that investing in heritage should be a priority during this crisis and this support by the Government is crucial. Heritage creates jobs and economic prosperity, is a major driver for tourism and makes our towns, cities, and rural areas better places to live. All of this is so important for our wellbeing and will be particularly vital when we start to emerge from this incredibly difficult time.
“Our heritage is still facing a perilous future – we are not out of the woods yet. But this hugely welcome funding from the Government, and the money we continue to invest from the National Lottery, has undoubtedly stopped heritage and the organizations that care for it being permanently lost.”
Kate Mavor, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “This support for our nation’s heritage is fantastic news. Over the last few months, our teams have been working hard to welcome visitors back safely to the great castles, stone circles, abbeys and historic houses in our care. This funding will help us invest to safeguard the historic fabric of these much-loved places, which everyone can learn from and enjoy.”
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