Gothic Revival cathedral in Nottingham to shine again with historic grant

 

Nottingham, England, Apr 12, 2025 / 07:00 am (CNA).

A new project, the Restoring Pugin Project, aimed at restoring the original design of a popular English cathedral, is seeking to attract people to encounter “a representation of the glory of God.”

Nottingham’s St. Barnabas Cathedral has been awarded a 1.69 million-pound (approximately $2.2 million) grant from the National Lottery Heritage Fund as part of its 2.3 million-pound (approximately $3 million) Restoring Pugin Project, which is a conservation program aimed at restoring Pugin’s original decorative scheme in the cathedral.

Having previously received funding for the Restoring Pugin Project from the National Lottery, the latest substantial grant will enable significant work to be done on the project and to reach a far wider audience.

Augustus Pugin was known as the father of the Victorian Gothic Revival, an iconic style of medieval architecture. Pugin, who famously worked on iconic English buildings such as London’s “Big Ben” and the Houses of Parliament, considered St. Barnabas Cathedral in Nottingham his masterpiece.

Built in 1841, the cathedral is ranked as a Grade II* listed building, which, according to Historic England, is one of three ranks given to “particularly important buildings of more than special interest.” Around 5.8% of listed buildings are Grade II*.

The cathedral is a particularly important building of more than special interest to people in the U.K. and beyond.

There are hopes that the restoration work will help develop further the cathedral’s profile within Nottingham as a place of welcome and fellowship. This was underlined by Bishop of Nottingham Patrick McKinney, who shared his desire for the project to “attract more and more people of all ages and backgrounds, especially local people” to the cathedral. McKinney also said he hopes Nottingham’s “Catholic churches become ever more outward facing.”

The project will also offer a number of opportunities for heritage training and skills development for people of all ages as the project aims to restore the cathedral’s east end to its former glory. Creative ideas to engage people include an innovative video game, Pugin’s Revival; new information panels; touch screens; audio visual materials; and a virtual reality experience.

Restoring Pugin Project Manager Jane Hellings spoke to CNA about the plans for the project to help the cathedral connect with local people and build faith.

“We call it soft evangelization,” Hellings said. “It’s definitely a place of living faith. It’s very much a representation of the glory of God. We’re working with refugees and migrants, pupils who have special educational needs and disabilities. The video game will be rolled out to schools as part of the careers pack, which includes ideas about how to pursue a career in heritage.”

2025 is a significant year, as it marks 175 years since Nottingham’s large Catholic church designed by Pugin was elevated to cathedral status.

Hellings, who is hoping to engage over 20,000 people in the project, outlined her hopes for people to access faith in a unique way. She said: “A lot of those [visitors] will be coming in to light a candle, [to be] peaceful for a little minute. And others are coming to see what’s on in the cathedral and what has happened, and why [Catholics] do things a certain way — why people bend their knees and bow their heads. Just actually sitting quietly in a separate space helps people to think.”

The Diocese of Nottingham and the cathedral community have been enthused by the National Lottery grant.

“This grant will enable Nottingham’s cathedral to become ever more engaged with the wider population of this city,” McKinney said, adding his hope that visitors will experience a “living faith and peace in the midst of the city and also as a sign of hope in these difficult times we are living through.”

The Friends of Nottingham Cathedral, whose mission involves promoting the mission and ministry of the cathedral in the diocese and in the wider community, encouraged people to visit Pugin’s “masterpiece.”

“The cathedral is one of Nottingham’s best-kept secrets, and Pugin regarded it as his masterpiece,” said Ron Lynch, chair of the Friends of Nottingham Cathedral.

“We’d like more people to come along and find out more about the heritage of this fantastic building, but also to share in the tranquillity that it offers in a busy city center,” he said.

Sophie Andreae, architectural historian and vice chair of the Patrimony Committee of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of England and Wales, paid tribute to the achievement of the Diocese of Nottingham in securing the grant.

“This is the first major National Lottery Heritage Fund award for a Catholic cathedral in recent years,” Andreae noted in a statement. “The conservation program to restore Pugin’s original decorative scheme will be transformational. Both the Heritage Fund and the Diocese of Nottingham are to be congratulated for their vision and determination to take this project forward.”