Julia Rausing Trust Awards for Cathedrals

‘Tis the season of giving and seven of our cathedrals are celebrating the extraordinary generosity of the Julia Rausing Trust after receiving awards of more than £6m.

Generous Gifts for our cathedrals this Christmas from the Julia Rausing Trust

Bristol, Chester, Ely, Exeter, Manchester, Wells Cathedrals and York Minster have each been granted awards – part of heritage grants across the UK from The Julia Rausing Trust of £16.7m including £6.2 million to cathedrals, £6.2 million to botanic gardens and £4.3 million to museums and galleries.

Bristol Cathedral has been awarded a generous £475k grant from The Julia Rausing Trust towards its Access for All project.

This funding will kick-start a transformational project which will drastically improve the way visitors and the community can enjoy The Cathedral without experiencing physical barriers to accessibility.

The grant to Bristol Cathedral, will support the installation of a new platform lift and work to raise the Cloister floor to its original level in the Victorian era. This will create new level access for those in wheelchairs or experiencing mobility issues, so visitors can travel from the Cathedral Nave down to the ground floor of the south range without the need to navigate sets of steps and level changes.

The Very Reverend Dr Mandy Ford, Dean of Bristol –

“We are so very grateful to The Julia Rausing Trust for this generous grant which will allow us to address Bristol Cathedral’s biggest accessibility challenge, ensuring that anyone who visits can experience a warm welcome and take part in Cathedral life in a way that works for them.”

Chester Cathedral has been awarded over £1.4m from the Julia Rausing Trust to fully refurbish, rebuild and develop its Grand Organ.

This generous funding will allow the instrument to be fully restored and rebuilt, where necessary, using modern organ building techniques and materials.

The whole organ will be thoroughly cleaned and the console replaced, alongside AV support and following restoration, each of the almost 5,000 pipes will be individually adjusted for sound and tuned within the Cathedral building.

The organ is at the heart of the cathedral.  It is played daily and is an integral part of Chester’s worship and mission. It was built in 1876, by the local firm Charles H Whiteley (at a cost of £1,800), and is their only major work. It was rebuilt in 1910 by Hill, and again in 1970 by Rushworth and Dreaper.

The instrument has been showing significant signs of wear, and without urgent repairs, it could fail entirely at any time, and indeed, some parts have already failed.

Canon Rosie Woodall, Canon for Worship and Spirituality at Chester Cathedral said:

“The Cathedral is currently renewing its strategic planning for 2025-2030, and the Grand Organ project was firmly placed as a priority project. 

“The extraordinary generosity of The Julia Rausing Trust has given us the security to finally plan its refurbishment – thus enabling music to remain at the heart of our worship for many more years to come.”

Manchester Cathedral has received a grant of £300,000 from the Julia Rausing Trust towards the repair and conservation of its bell tower.

The Very Reverend Rogers Govender, Dean of Manchester Cathedral, said:

“As a Grade I listed building, we take conservation very seriously and it has become apparent the beams and structures surrounding the Cathedral bells in our West Tower have fallen into disrepair and need attention.

“We are extremely grateful to receive this support from the Julia Rousing Trust towards the repair of our bell tower so the city can continue to hear the much-loved sound of the Cathedral bells for years to come.”

Anthony O’Connor, Manchester Cathedral’s Director of Fundraising and Development, said:

“The total cost of the project to repair the Cathedral’s bell tower stands at around £600,000, so we are delighted to receive this grant which will also stand us in good stead to attract further match funding. 

“Thank you to the Julia Rausing Trust for working with us and supporting this vital heritage conservation work.”

Wells Cathedral has been awarded £800,000 for its Vicars Close Project, to preserve and open up to the public the oldest intact medieval street in Europe still used for its original purpose, to house the cathedral’s adult choir.

The Dean of Wells, the Very Revd Toby Wright, said:

“We are immensely grateful for the generous support of the Julia Rausing Trust to enable us to undertake urgent repair work to the Vicars’ Close Project and open it up to the public.  

“Vicars’ Close is the oldest intact medieval street in Europe (1348) still used for its original purpose: to house the Cathedral’s adult choir. It has been integral to the history and fine choral tradition of Wells Cathedral for centuries and its continuity of use is incredibly rare. As a group of buildings, it is possibly without parallel.

This crucial project will create a legacy that will safeguard the future of this extraordinary heritage and enable an exciting, new, visitor experience and programme of events to uncover and celebrate this remarkable place, opening it up to the public for the first time.

“Chapter of Wells are delighted to be working with the Julia Rausing Trust to open this space up to many new visitors, and to work in conjunction with apprentices, young people and a wide range communities to ensure the survival of this world-renown jewel. This support makes a huge difference’

And a grant of £500,000 awarded by the Julia Rausing Trust will close the fundraising campaign for York Minster‘s new Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management and fund the first major project to take place in the centre: the conservation of three stained glass windows in the Minster’s South Transept, and up-close analysis of the iconic Rose Window.

The generous gift from the Rausing Trust will deliver far-reaching impact across the heritage sector. Funding for the Minster’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management will provide new facilities for craftspeople, including York Glaziers Trust and the Minster’s team of stonemasons, and house cutting edge digital facilities to aid in the conservation of the Minster and heritage estates worldwide.

On-site accommodation will allow the Minster to host training events with craftspeople from across the world, as well as offering its apprentices the chance to live and work in its new Heritage Quad to help combat the high cost of living. The latest in stone-cutting technology will speed up conservation efforts to the fragile medieval building, freeing up capacity for Minster’s team to liaise with, train, and learn from, similar heritage sites across the world using a new conferencing suite in the centre’s Tech Hub.

The first project to take place in the new centre will see the conservation of three stained-glass windows and analysis of the condition of the iconic Rose Window, all of which were heavily damaged by the 1984 fire that tore through the Minster’s South Transept.

The Very Reverend Dominic Barrington, Dean of York said:

“We are absolutely delighted to have received incredibly generous support from the Julia Rausing Trust. This exceptional donation of £500,000 will have an incredible impact across our work, the glorious building of which we are custodians, and the heritage sector more widely.

“This last year, we have paid homage to the determination, bravery and skill of the people who helped to save, conserve and restore York Minster 40 years ago. This funding will allow us to continue to build on this legacy, creating facilities and sharing training that will help us, and others like us, overcome the many challenges facing historic buildings.

“Our heartfelt thanks to Hans Rausing for his generous support in memory of Julia Rausing.”

Simon Fourmy, Director of Julia Rausing Trust, said:

“From the splendour of a medieval cathedral to the innovation of a Victorian glasshouse, via a fascinating and inspiring array of museums dotted across the country, the UK boasts exceptional heritage. Supporting heritage for the benefit of all was an important part of Julia Rausing’s giving and so it is fitting to continue her legacy through these new heritage-themed grants.”

The Julia Hausing Trust was established by Julia’s husband, Hans Rausing following her death earlier this year. It intends to make grants in Julia’s name, supporting causes she was particularly passionate about. It aims to give away £100m each year to UK charities.

Overall, more than 2,000 grants have been made totalling over £500m.