Southwell Minster faces building repair bill of £20m

Southwell Minster is in financial crisis, with more than £20m of building repairs needed and concern over its long-term future, reports West Bridgford Wire:

The Reverend Canon Dr Stephen Evans, who became Dean in April, revealed the scale of the difficulties following a six-week review of the Minster’s accounts. An emergency meeting was held and a report submitted to the Charity Commission.

In a letter to the congregation, the Dean said the repair deficit for the Minster’s buildings exceeded £20 million. Water reportedly poured through the cathedral roof during the Southwell Music Festival, while lighting on the north side of the building had been condemned.

He also warned that, at the end of July, the Minster appeared to have only enough money to cover one more payroll.

Southwell is one of the less-known English cathedrals, but it's also one of the most remarkable. The stone carvings in the chapter house are its glory – you can learn all about them in the video above.

I once wrote after a visit to the town:

One of the great things about the East Midlands is how little the region is known. If Southwell were in the Cotswolds it would be crawling with tourists. Here the town caters for visitors but is not swamped by them. The result is that Southwell is a dignified place without being self-important.

But I sensed the Minster must be hard to keep afloat when I attended evensong ("the atheist's favourite service") there on a later visit. I found I was one of a congregation of only six and we sat in the quire.

I've been to evensong at York Minster a couple of times, and it can feel a little like another tick on the tourist trail – you can tell the choir is used to being photographed. At Southwell it's as though you've chanced upon a miraculous after-school club.

But none of that helps keep the lights on. I feel another trip to Southwell coming on.