Church gets grants to stop 1kg stones from falling

A Kent church is set to receive £23,000 to help stop chunks of stone weighing up to 1kg falling from the building.

St John the Baptist church in Sutton-at-Hone, near Dartford, currently suffers from pieces of falling flint as well as water damage, broken gutters and "voids" in the masonry which make it vulnerable to birds and squirrels.

The Grade I listed church, which can be traced back to Roman Britain, has been given a £13,000 grant from the National Churches Trust to fund the urgent repairs.

It will also receive £10,000 from the Wolfson Foundation to further support the work.

Reverend Emma Young, vicar at St John's, said: "Making the site safe again through repairs to masonry is a vital first step and restoring the church to good condition will, in turn, enable us to extend the church's ministry in the local community of which St John's has been a part for nearly 700 years."

The church dates back to the 14th Century and features signs of flint and roman stone dating back to before 1066.

It also holds the graves of Thomas Smythe, the first governor of the East India Company, and Abraham Hill, a founding member of the Royal Society.

The building also attracts tourists and is used by community groups, schools and as a food larder for people in need.

Repairs will be completed using salvaged stone and repointed with lime mortar to help make the church watertight.

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