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Crumbling cathedral 'needs £50m' Crumbling cathedral 'needs £50m'
(about 2 hours later)
A £50m global fundraising campaign has begun to try and save the crumbling Canterbury Cathedral which has been ravaged by age and pollution. A £50m global fundraising campaign has begun to try to save the crumbling Canterbury Cathedral which has been ravaged by age and pollution.
Deteriorating stonework and a leaking roof mean parts of the Kent cathedral might have to be closed unless the cash is raised, fundraisers said on Tuesday.Deteriorating stonework and a leaking roof mean parts of the Kent cathedral might have to be closed unless the cash is raised, fundraisers said on Tuesday.
"Visitors look at the cathedral and think it will stand for another 1,000 years," said chairman Allan Willetts. "Visitors look at the cathedral and think it will stand for another 1,000 years," said chairman Allan Willett.
"The picture postcard image masks a very different reality.""The picture postcard image masks a very different reality."
He added: "Our message is stark, blunt and urgent - save Canterbury Cathedral, it is as simple as that."He added: "Our message is stark, blunt and urgent - save Canterbury Cathedral, it is as simple as that."
The cathedral - founded by St Augustine in 597 - costs over £6m a year to run. Surveyor John Burton said the sheer size of the 560ft-long building meant replacing the 150-year-old lead on the 70ft-high roof was a "mammoth undertaking".
Broke even 1,500 YEARS OF HISTORY 597 - Founded by St Augustine1170 - Thomas Becket murdered in the cathedral acting on the words of Henry II: "who will rid me of this turbulent priest?"1538- Henry VIII destroyed Thomas Beckett's shrine1940s- Damaged in German bombing raids
The one million tourists who visit annually are charged up to £6 to get into the precincts. The roof had serious structural problems resulting from repairs after World War II, when supporting beams were encased in concrete.
Campaign director Brigadier David Innes said careful financial management meant the cathedral broke even each year but it was unable to generate sufficient income to pay for conservation work. The building's south side also had a "serious hidden defect" resulting from war damage, he said.
The effects of old age and pollution meant major projects needed to be undertaken. A fireball from a bomb dropped in 1942 created a vacuum which pulled out the outer limestone skin of the cathedral.
One example was replacement of the lead on the roofs, which was coming to the end of its life. The void was filled with sand and cement - the only materials available at the time - which was now damaging the fabric.
"The sort of lead we use lasts about 100 to 150 years," said Brig Innes. Urgent repairs were needed in key areas of the cathedral to prevent them becoming health and safety hazards and closed to visitors.
"One of the major projects we will be seeking to tackle over the next few years will be to redo the lead roofs of the cathedral. Work is needed to protect the 12th Century south Oculus window
"The sheer size of the building and the height above the ground means that it is a very expensive task." "We have to keep safety in mind at all times," said Mr Burton.
"The reality is that at the moment we are tying bits together and patching it up."
Half the 1m visitors to the cathedral every year pay entrance fees, but they just cover the annual running costs.
Previous renovation projects were paid for by fundraising appeals every 30 years or so but now a permanent fundraising campaign has been set up, with offices in New York and Hong Kong.
"We aim to raise £50m in the next five years and then maintain the momentum," said Mr Willetts.
"It is absolutely vital that this generation takes steps to save this great cathedral for the future."
IN NEED OF URGENT REPAIR Buttresses to West Towers to avoid eventual collapseLead roofs on West Towers and the naveStonework, carvings and pinnacles on Bell HarryCleaning and repair to masonry in the Quire, Presbytery and Trinity ChapelStained glass, in particular the 12th Century south Oculus window
Canterbury and Durham are the only two cathedrals in the UK recognised as World Heritage Sites but Mr Willett said the cathedral received no funding from the government or English Heritage.
The cathedral is the Mother Church of the worldwide Anglican communion and the seat of the Archbishop of Canterbury.
But Lord Hattersley, who is backing the campaign, said its importance went beyond its religious significance.
"I am a practising atheist, but I come and look at Canterbury Cathedral with awe and wonder.
"It is not just a building, it's not just a cathedral, it's England in stone and glass.
"It helped form our character, our ideas, our beliefs, our optimism about the future. It would be a tragedy if it were to wear away at the edges."