Warwick's iconic church wins national award for the refurbishment work to its tower

The award was given by the London based Georgian Group, who annually present awards for the best renovations of older buildings in the country.

St Mary’s Church won the award for the best restoration of a Georgian Church, which was one of six categories at the awards.

The 160ft tower – which boasts 160 steps and provides stunning views across Warwick of the world-famous castle and the county beyond.

St Mary’s tower, which is visible from every direction, has been a Warwick landmark for centuries. It was destroyed in the Great Fire of Warwick in 1694 and rebuilt in 1704.

The renovation work was needed due to stone falls, which led to the church being issued with a dangerous structure notice in 2021.

Work was needed on the tower’s including stonework, the replacement of cement with lime mortar plus the refurbishment of the clock, the clock faces, the heraldic shields, the finials and weathervanes.

The project cost £1.8million and took three years to complete and the church reopened to the public in May.

The work was designed by architect, Mark Stewart and the building contractor for the project was Ackroyd Construction.

The award was collected in London at the awards ceremony on October 1 by John Edwards, chair of the tower project team, and Clare Gould, operations manager of the church.

Speaking about receiving the award, John said: “After the team has worked so hard for three years on the fundraising and then the restoration, I am very pleased with how good the tower now looks, once again its magnificent self, proudly standing at the centre of our town.

"However, as for the award, I was there more in hope than expectation, thinking that perhaps we were there to make up the numbers.

"I was therefore both surprised and delighted when I heard the name St Mary's Church, Warwick being read out.”

The recently appointed Rector of St Mary’s Church, the Reverend Canon Angus Aagaard, congratulated all the team for “their hard work and dedication which has led to St Mary’s receiving such a prestigious award”.

For more information about the awards go to: https://georgiangroup.org.uk/2024/10/03/architectural-awards-2024/