Church of the Annunciation, Marble Arch, London

The Church of the Annunciation Marble Arch has received a grant of £90,000 from the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF). This grant provides essential help as we seek to save an important historic building that continues to serve the community here in the very centre of London.

The NHLF grant will go towards the repair and conservation of the Calvary War Memorial on the corner of Old Quebec Street and Bryanston Street – which was recently vandalised. Other key works include conservation planning, audience development, architectural feasibility studies, and two exciting pilot projects, as well as business planning, and help with further fundraising to address identified needs.

The Church of the Annunciation is listed Grade II*. It is located within the Portman Estate Conservation Area, just off Oxford Street near Marble Arch. The church is beautifully decorated within and is a welcoming and comforting presence in the locality, being held in great affection by international visitors and those who live and work nearby, as well as our long-term primary school partner, Hampden Gurney, concert goers, and many local families who utilise our popular Sunday School.

The present Church was designed by Sir Walter Tapper (1861 –1935) and completed in 1912–1913. The resulting church is widely considered to be a masterwork, displaying an extraordinary control of architectural composition. The interior remains largely unaltered since its construction. The quality and control of light is exceptional, and the church is enriched with an array of fittings and fixtures of significant detail and quality. A large undercroft sits below the church, extending to the entire footprint.

The funded work is vital in developing the Church of the Annunciation’s future, comprising a practical and sustainable project that will tackle mounting problems with the building once and for all. The building is on Historic England’s At Risk Register, so some of the work is becoming increasingly urgent, with architects now needing to explore the most effective remedies and quantify the necessary works. The Church is also hampered in growing new audiences because of the lack of access and inadequate facilities. The NLHF Grant is therefore designed to help the Church of the Annunciation ‘share its future’ and ensure this astonshing building is enhanced for users today and for generations to come.

Commenting on the project, The Revd Dr Lincoln Harvey said:

“This is a significant milestone in the life of our community. We are hugely grateful to the Heritage Fund for supporting this project. We look forward to working closely with them and with all our local community as we deliver this important resilience project as well as several exciting new initiatives to test out future plans.”