HERITAGE at an ancient church will be safeguarded into the future thanks to a grant from the National Churches Trust.
ST Anieutus Church in St Neot has been awarded £41,043 grant to help pay for repairs.
After the removal of a Victorian reredos (ornamental screen) to investigate what was behind the altar, it was discovered that the mullions and other stonework associated with the stained glass window that had been hidden were in bad repair and in danger of failing.
This grant will help fund the work on the stone around the window which depicts the Last Supper. Originally 15th century, it was restored in the 1830’s.
But it will have to be temporarily removed from the failed masonry whilst it is repaired.
The church is primarily medieval, completed in the 15th century, though there are some Norman elements.
Its remarkable pre-reformation stained glass windows attract visitors from all over the world.
The church was renovated in the Victorian era and there are some significant Victorian features, particularly the rood screen and a Father Willis organ.
The list of clergy goes back to Norman times, 1266, and there is history of monastic activity in the village from Celtic times.