£50k grant for listed building

Speaking after the announcement on Monday that Bishop Street Masonic Hall was awarded a £50,000 grant under the Historic Buildings Grant Aid Scheme to pay for some recently completed renovations, he said it was important to hand buildings on to the next generation in as pristine condition as possible.

The elegant three-storey, porticoed Georgian town house was built in 1753 to serve as the Bishop’s Palace and continued in this role until 1945, apart from a short interlude when it was used as a barracks in 1728. It is now the local headquarters of the Masonic order and has proved a popular attraction for visitors on annual European Heritage open days .

Records show the palace was originally built for the episcopate of William Barnard (1747-68) on the sit of a plantation structure and was largely reconstructed by the Earl of Bristol when he was Bishop. It was restored by William Knox in 1803 after its use by the military in 1798.

The grant, awarded under NIEA’s Historic Buildings Grant-Aid Scheme, supports the owners to carry out repairs to the windows and exterior finishes of this important listed structure.

Welcoming the grant, the Mayor said: “The Masonic hall is one of many historic buildings in the city and it is good to see money being spent on restoring it. It is important that these buildings are maintained for the next generation and handed on to them in a good state of repair.”

Environment Minister, Alex Attwood, also stressed the importance of maintaining the standard of the built heritage, saying: “We owe it to future generations to ensure that listed buildings, of which there are approximately 8,500 in Northern Ireland, are protected and enhanced for future generations.”

Pointing out the importance of the grant scheme to maintaining our architectural heritage, the Minister said: “The historic buildings grant-aid scheme goes a long way towards ensuring a sustainable future for much of our built heritage and I have sought to secure more money to his fund. This week I am pleased to announce that the cap on support for new applications which was set at £50,000 last year has now been raised threefold to £150,000.”

The grant comes on top of the £961,000 announced last year for the repair of a number of the City’s listed buildings, including St Columb’s Cathedral, which received £250,000, a further £235,000 for First Derry Presbyterian Church, and an additional £29,000 for the First Presbyterian Church Hall. The Guildhall received a grant of £250,000, while £188,000 went to St Eugene’s Parocial House and a grant of £9,000 went to Austins.

As part of the Programme for Government, DOE is committed to ‘protecting and enhancing our environment and natural resources’.

To apply for to the Historic Buildings Grant Aid Scheme email [email protected] or telephone 028 9054 3038.