Apprentices at a summer school will learn endangered skills from master craftspeople inside a historic church then help with the emergency repairs to its roof.
The Heritage Building Skills Summer School is being held at the St John the Evangelist Church which needs repairs to the roof and high-level masonry.
Twenty-one trainees from across northern England are taking part in the five-week school run by Historic England at the 18th century church on North Road.
Historic England said it "will help address the critical shortage of heritage skills in the construction industry".
LISTEN to apprentices Robert Akisanya and Ellen Hunt, and Florence Salberter from Historic England talking about the project
They have awarded the Grade II* church a grant of £574,000 to carry out the repairs, alongside £144,000 of funding from the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT).
Trainees will also attend workshops at Lancaster and Morecambe College where they will be learning skills including hot lime mortar mixing, slate roofing, stonemasonry, plastering, joinery, and mud masonry
Bullen Conservation will carry out the repair works and will deliver the on-site training to the apprentices.
The church was once used for concerts, community events and home to a fair-trade café. However, this came to an end in 2015 following severe flooding during Storm Desmond, which led to deterioration in the condition of the building, including dry and wet rot outbreaks.
Over the last eight years, CCT has invested around a quarter of a million pounds in remedial and emergency works at the church.
"It’s wonderful to see our Heritage Building Skills trainees seize this incredible opportunity to learn these much-needed crafts and then immediately put them into practice as part of the restoration of St John’s in Lancaster," said Catherine Dewar, Historic England’s North West Regional Director.
"It’s a really special building that means a lot to the local community and these works will help secure its future.”
Kathrine Graf, stonemasonry apprentice, said: "I'm genuinely excited to meet with the other trainees, to share our experiences and skills gained over this past year. This project provides the perfect opportunity to demonstrate what we've learned in our respective trades, reinforcing our confidence as early career heritage craftspeople."
Terry Parsons, a Churches Conservation Trust volunteer at St John’s, said: “I’m so pleased that the repair works are taking place at St John’s. I’ve cared for the church for many years and it’s so sad to see the decline, but this project means that the roof will be watertight and the inside of the church safe for people to enjoy for years to come. It’s also such a great opportunity for the trainees to develop the skills we need to care for all the wonderful historic buildings we have in Lancaster and further afield.”
Over the last 10 years research within the heritage sector has revealed a growing shortage of specialist skills in the building repair and conservation sector.
The 2023 Red List produced by the Heritage Crafts organisation includes flint knapping, gauged brickwork, stained glass making and slating as ‘endangered’ crafts in the UK.
The 21 trainees have a variety of backgrounds from software engineering to chemistry and building trades. They have taken up construction placements across the North of England, working in partnership with heritage construction host firms and construction skills training providers.
There are also future plans for the church to be revamped from a redundant building at risk to a vibrant landmark in Lancaster city centre through the 'Chamber at St John's' project, where the church will be refurbished to create dedicated offices, open plan dedicated desks, co-working desks, meeting spaces, an event space and a café open to the public, as well as landscaped gardens.
Read more: Views wanted on plans to transform Lancaster church into hub for city businesses - Beyond Radio
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