St James celebrates English Heritage cash

One of Bristol’s oldest buildings has been awarded a cash boost to enable vital repairs.

St James Priory, a Grade 1 listed church in central Bristol has been given £480,000 from English Heritage in order to carry out urgent conservation work.

Located next to Bristol bus station, it was built in the year 1129, but work is now desperately needed to repair its roof and important Normal Masonry as well as improve facilities for the community.

The restoration project was also awarded a Heritage Lottery Fund grant of £3 million early this year.

In 1984, the church was taken over by the St James Priory Project, providing support and treatment for people with drug and alcohol addictions.

Director of St James Priory Project, Sue Jotcham said : “For 16 years we have been hoping that St James Priory could be saved from ruin. This is a building of great importance not only for residents of Bristol, but also for clients receiving treatment for their addictions. It is critical for the project and if it wasn’t for donations such as English Heritage’s the repairs wouldn’t be going ahead. It is Bristol’s oldest standing building and extremely important for those who care about Bristol’s heritage.”

There is still a long way to go as a further £100,000 is required to complete restoration.

For more information about the restoration, visit: www.stjamesprioryproject.org