Church appeals

Door into the Chapter at Rochester Cathedral, Kent - the cover illustration to Inside Churches, a guide to church furnishings and decoration, published by the National Association of Decorative & Fine Arts Societies and Capability Publishing ( pounds 9.95)

St Nicholas', Sturry, Kent. Norman; enlarged in the 13th and 14th centuries. Appeal: pounds 86,000 for repairs to the tower, the lead valleys and the electrical system; also, for a damp course and redecoration. - The Rev PJ Gausden, The Rectory, 2 The Hamels, Sturry, Kent CT2 0BL, telephone 0227 710320.

All Saints', Leek, Staffordshire. Built 1885. Designed by Norman Shaw with wall and ceiling paintings designed by WR Lethaby and painted by Gerald Horsley, Shaw's pupil. Appeal: pounds 16,680 to complete fund-raising for conservation of ceiling and wall paintings. - AE Gater, The Old Vicarage, Horton, nr Rudyard, Leek, Staffordshire ST13 8PH, telephone 0538 33330.

St Michael and All Angels, Oxford. Built 1954. Neo-Romanesque in style. Appeal: pounds 5,000 to restore two frescoes, The Annunciation and The Resurrection, by Leon Underwood (1890-1975). - The Rev Dr C. Miller, St Michael & All Angels, Marston Road, Oxford OX3 0JA, telephone 0865 242803.

St Peter's, Shorwell, Isle of Wight. Twelfth century; remodelled in 1440, when a tower was added and also a wall painting depicting the devil on one side and the martyrdom of the saint on the other. Appeal: pounds 60,000 for urgent roof, buttress and window repairs. - The Rev J. Russell, The Vicarage, Northcourt Close, Shorwell, Isle of Wight PO30 3LD, telephone 0983 741044.

All Saints', Hereford, Herefordshire. Thirteenth century; Grade I listed with a 240ft spire and fretwork roof and misericords. Appeal: pounds 204,000 to complete a repair programme to make the church a community forum and meeting place while retaining it as a place of worship. - All Saints' Development Project, St Barnabas Church Centre, Venns Lane, Hereford HR1 1DT, telephone 0432 355088.

St Dunstan's, Monks Risborough, Buckinghamshire. Twelfth century; with medieval additions. Appeal: pounds 65,000, to reinforce the fractured bell tower containing six bells, which need rehanging. - D. Dewick, Church Warden, Russets, Peters Lane, Monks Risborough, Buckinghamshire HP27 0LQ, telephone 0844 343016.

All Saints', Shelsey Beauchamp, Worcestershire. Fourteenth century, with major rebuilding in 1847. Appeal: pounds 20,000 for urgently needed roof repairs. - J. Crabbe, Fetterlocks Farmhouse, Worcester WR6 6QS, telephone 0886 812373.

All Saints', Hertford, Hertfordshire. Rebuilt, after a fire, 1891. Large, gothic-style with elaborate decorations, with an east window of Christ reigning in majesty on the Cross by CE Kempe. Appeal: pounds 350,000, for major repairs especially to the tower which is moving away from the main building. - The Rev W. Kemm, All Saints' Vicarage, Churchfields, Hertford, Hertfordshire SG13 8AE, telephone 0992 582096.

St Michael and All Angels, Markfield, Leicestershire. Thirteenth century. John Wesley visited the rectory - whose incumbent had been appointed through the influence of Selina, Countess of Huntingdon, an evangelist - 13 times, resting during his long travels. Appeal: pounds 20,000 for masonry repairs, to complete a restoration programme. - Canon GT Willett, The Rectory, The Nook, Markfield, Leicestershire LE67 9WE, telephone 0530 242844.

The Barn Church, Bewbush, Sussex. A new-town neighbourhood with no church building of any denomination: at present, the Rev Nicholas Flint holds services at the local community centre. Appeal: pounds 330,000 to convert a derelict 17th- century barn into the new church. - The Rev N. Flint, Bewbush Vicarage, 1 Francis Edward Way, Bewbush, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 8GG, telephone 0293 851758.

St Mary the Virgin, Hatfield Broad Oak, Hertfordshire. Twelfth-century Benedictine monastery; largely reconstructed in the perpendicular style in the 14th and early 15th centuries. Its most renowned vicar was (1891-1915) Canon Francis Galpin, an expert in early music and collector of early musical instruments. Appeal: pounds 15,000 to restore disintegrating masonry around two windows in the south porch, to complete a large restoration programme. - The Rev D. Hodgson, The Vicarage, Hatfield Broad Oak, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire CM22 7HD, telephone 0279 718274.

St Mark's, Hale, Farnham, Surrey. Built 1883. The daughter church of nearby St John's. Appeal: pounds 250,000 to re-order the church so that it has facilities for a wider range of activities, both church-based and others. - The Rev H. Southern, The Vicarage, 25 Upper Hale Road, Farnham, Surrey GU9 0NX, telephone 0252 716469.

Petersfield Methodist Church, Petersfield, Hampshire. Built 1903. A large building whose spire is a prominent local landmark. Appeal: pounds 30,000, for urgent work to replace the spire's rotten and damaged timber, to renew leadwork, heating, to repair the timber roof and redecorate the interior. - Mr R. Durgan, Treasurer, 7 Love Lane, Petersfield, Hampshire GU31 4BV, telephone 0730 262366.

St Peter's, Fordcombe, Kent. Mid- 19th-century church; rare mosaic reredos. Burial place of Henry Hardinge, Wellington's general, later Governor-General of India. Appeal: pounds 81,000 for roof repairs - nail sickness is causing tiles to fall - and to overhaul the organ. - Brigadier JA Rundall, Beacon Cottage, The Lane, Fordcombe, Kent TN3 ORP, telephone 0892 740250.

All Souls' Church, Belfast, Northern Ireland. Built 1896. Modelled on the 14th-century Croyland Abbey in Lincolnshire. Past members of the church include Lord Pirrie, who built the Titanic, and Edward Bunting, who saved traditional Irish music in the 18th century. Appeal: pounds 50,000, to restore the stonework of the building and the windows. - The Rev D. Steers, 223 Upper Lisburn Road, Finaghy, Belfast BT10 0LL, telephone 0232 628846.

St George's, Edgbaston, Birmingham. Built 1838, gothic style, greatly extended in 1885 by JA Chatwin. Set on a prominent island site in an important conservation area. Appeal: pounds 200,000, to conserve eroded masonry, to repair the dry rot and an ailing organ. - The Rev RW Grimley, 3 Westbourne Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 3TH, telephone 021-454 2303.

Ipswich Unitarian Meeting House, Ipswich, Suffolk. Built 1699. Grade I listed. Timber- framed; original fittings include box-pews, a chandelier and a carved pulpit thought to be by Grinling Gibbons. Appeal: pounds 80,000, to rid the building of death-watch beetle and wet rot; and for restoration. - The Treasurer, Ipswich Unitarian Meeting, Friars Street, Ipswich, Suffolk IPI ITD, telephone 0473 218217.

Huyton Parish Church, Liverpool. Sixteenth century with further building in the 17th century. Grade II listed. Appeal: pounds 180,000, to restore the sandstone exterior and to provide interior facilities. - Canon JA Stanley, The Vicarage, Blue Bell Lane, Huyton, Liverpool L36 7SA, telephone 051-449 3900.

St Mary's, Rufford, Lancashire. Built 1869. Has a long musical tradition; at one time music was provided by an orchestra. Appeal: pounds 20,000, to repair the organ, built in 1886 by Messrs Gray and Davison. - Mr R. Barrett, 52 Croft Avenue, Burscough, Ormskirk, Lancashire L40 5TB, telephone 0704 892259.

St Walburge's, Preston, Lancashire. Built 1854. Designed by Joseph Hansom, inventor of the Hansom cab. Grade I listed, with the third highest spire (309ft) in England and a stained glass rose in the west window. Appeal: pounds 768,000, for treatment of extensive dry rot and general repairs. - Fr P. Sayer, St Walburge's, Weston Street, Preston PR2 2QE, telephone 0772 760499.

St Mary, Fishponds, Bristol. Built 1821. Extended in the late 19th century and in 1926; this last extension was destroyed in an arson attack in December 1992. Appeal: pounds 40,000, to rebuild a small extension and re-order internal space. - The Rev Dr BL Curnew, The Vicarage, Vicars Close, Fishponds, Bristol BS16 3TH, telephone 0272 654462.

St Michael, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire. Twelfth century - commissioned by Queen Adeliza, second wife of Henry I - with later additions. Grade I listed building which houses the oldest rood screen and some of the oldest stained glass in England; also, the medieval shrine of St Edburg. Appeal: pounds 200,000, for essential restoration, especially to the roof. - The Old Vicarage, Stanton Harcourt, Oxfordshire OX8 1AQ, telephone 0865 881391.

Tewkesbury Abbey, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire. Founded in 1087 by Benedictine monks; thought to be the second largest parish church in England. Appeal: pounds 2m, to reconstruct the 'Milton' organ, to repair and refurbish the Abbey Hall, and for general restoration. - The Campaign Office, Abbey Office, Church Street, Tewkesbury, Gloucestershire GL20 5SR, telephone 0684 273113.

All Saints', Longstanton, Cambridgeshire. Twelfth century with later additions, particularly during the 1880s by the architect, WM Fawcett. Noted for its medieval wall paintings and Royal Air Force memorials. Appeal: pounds 90,000, to replace the nave ceiling; to conserve the stonework and wall paintings; and to build a meeting room. - The Rev Dr E. Baty, The Rectory, 2 High Street, Longstanton, Cambridgeshire CB4 5BP, telephone 0954 781180.

St Mary's, Breamore, Hampshire. Built 980 AD. 'By far the most important and interesting Anglo- Saxon monument in Hampshire' (Pevsner). Appeal: pounds 60,000, to restore four oak posts - infested with death watch beetle - supporting the bell frame and the belfry. - The Rev PJW Raine, The Rectory, Breamore, Fordingbridge, Hampshire SP6 2BY, telephone 0725 23098.

St Barnabas', Franche, Worcestershire. Built 1870. Gothic style, with a tempera wall frieze in the chancel and decorative Victorian tiles on the sanctuary floor. Appeal: pounds 33,000, of which pounds 18,500 has been raised, for extensive roof and general interior repairs. - The Rev P. Rahilly, 50 Nursery Grove, Franche, Kidderminster, Worcestershire DY11 5BG, telephone 0562 748016.

LONDON

Hinde Street Methodist Church, Marylebone. Built 1887. Grade II listed and designed by James Weir (1845-1905) to a classical design; its portico resembles that of St Paul's Cathedral. Appeal: pounds 200,000, to repair exterior stonework and the roof; for re-wiring and damp-proofing. - Miss A Gowman, 3 Green Walk, London SE1 4TU, telephone 071-248 4141.

St Michael's, Cornhill. Built 1672. Designed by Sir Christopher Wren and built on the site of a pre-Norman church; the tower was rebuilt in 1722 - attributed to Wren but completed by Hawksmoor in 1718- 22. Appeal: pounds 30,000 to build meeting and counselling rooms and a green room for the choir. - The Rev D. Burton Evans, St Michael's Rectory, St Michael's Alley, Cornhill, London EC3V 9DS, telephone 071-626 8841.

St Mark's, St John's Wood. Mid- Victorian; its spire dominates the Maida Vale skyline and its interior is decorated with a well-known series of mosaics. Appeal: pounds 120,000 for roof and general restoration repairs. - Dr RE Bell, 3 Hill Road, St John's Wood, London NW8 9QE, telephone 071-286 6072.

St John the Divine, Kennington. Built 1874. Designed by George Edmund Street; Grade I listed. 'The most magnificent church in south London' (Betjeman). Appeal: pounds 161,140, to improve the church's interior and facilities, including heating, lighting, a kitchen and toilets. - The Appeals Co-ordinator, 92 Vassall Road, London SW9 6JA, telephone 071-735 7630.

St Anselm and St Cecilia, Lincoln's Inn Fields. Rebuilt 1909. Originally the chapel of the Royal Sardinian Embassy, from 1720 to 1882. Devastated by fire on Christmas Day 1992. Appeal: pounds 100,000, to improve heating and lighting, and for a commemorative stained glass window. - The Rev HJ McAleese, 70 Lincoln's Inn Fields, London WC2A 3JA, 071-405 0376.

St John the Evangelist, Dulwich. Built 1865. Old English style; badly damaged in the Second World War and redesigned afterwards to provide more light and space. Appeal: pounds 500,000, for a church and community centre for pre-school, youth, elderly, ethnic minority and disadvantaged groups. - K. Deller, Appeal Co-ordinator, 121 Woodwarde Road, East Dulwich, London SE22 8UP, telephone 081-299 0882.

St Paul's, Wimbledon Park. Built 1896. Grade II listed building, designed by Somers Clarke and John Thomas Micklethwaite. Gothic- style interior, with stained glass and furnishings by CE Kempe. Appeal: pounds 150,000, to replace crumbling exterior stonework and to restore the interior. - St Paul's Centenary Appeal Office, 92 Victoria Drive, London SW19 6HQ, telephone: 081-788 2270.

St Margaret the Queen, Streatham Hill. Built 1900. Designed to match the surrounding red-brick houses erected by the Artisans and Labourers Association. Appeal: pounds 200,000 to convert the church halls into a community centre. - The Rev LM Wright, 19 Hillside Road, London SW2 3HL, telephone 081-671 8037.

St Anne's, Limehouse. Eighteenth century; designed by Hawksmoor. Its clock was made by the makers of Big Ben and its Davison and Gray organ was displayed at the Great Exhibition in 1851. Appeal: pounds 20,000 to be raised within six months to match a conditional grant of pounds 20,000 from the Getty Grant Program, for interior restoration. - The Appeal Administrator, The Rectory, 5 Newell Street, London E14 7HP, telephone 071-987 1502.

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