About Flamstead Heritage
From this page you can find out more ABOUT Flamstead Heritage.
Use this page and sub-pages to find out more ABOUT Flamstead Heritage:
Scroll down for the STORY.
For more specific topics, visit ABOUT this website or ABOUT our volunteers or ABOUT our teams.
Visit publishing NOTICES for policies including: copyright, privacy and publishing for re-use.
OR visit other pages:
the heritage ACTIVITIES page to revisit all the community events and other activities;
the CONTACT us page to get in touch about the project as a whole or the website in particular.
About Flamstead Heritage: the story from 2017 to 2024
In 2017, St Leonard’s, Flamstead was threatened with closure and the priceless mediaeval wall paintings with irreparable damage. Death watch beetle and the ravages of time had destroyed the nave roof and other repairs were urgently needed.
But by 2020 the Flamstead Heritage Project had been created, over £1m raised from the National Lottery Heritage Fund, through other grants, and by local matched funding. This meant major restoration building works were able to start.
Building work continued during the Covid-19 pandemic, but delivery of the associated heritage programme had to be suspended.
By 2021, the roof had been restored, other works completed, and the church saved.
In 2022 the heritage programme resumed and continued
In October 2024. the programme concluded, having delivered a comprehensive programme of community heritage activities, published informative resources and newly (re-) discovered archives, and provided explanatory displays within the church and churchyard, Together the activities and the publishing have made our heritage accessible to all. Some of this work is continuing after the formal end of the programme.
Together with other projects that brought the church facilities out of the 19th century, St Leonard’s is now an engaging place to visit and a popular venue for community events. With ongoing funding, proactive maintenance, and further development, St Leonard’s is now equipped to meet the 21st Century needs of our whole community..
About heritage programme delivery from 2022 to 2024
Use the following buttons or links to find out more about heritage programme delivery.
In the news
Here you can view news about the project from the press, social media and other outlets.
About our team
Find out about both the heritage delivery team and those who contributed at earlier stages of the project.
Volunteers
As a community project, Flamstead Heritage benefitted from the contributions of many different volunteers.
this website
this site is being developed and updated all the time
About project initiation, funding, design & restoration works 2017-2021
Click on the slide to watch a live presentation (13 mins 17 secs – YouTube) given by James Mellish, Project Manager, in October 2022, outlining the restoration (“capital”) works carried out in 2020 and 2021.
Click on the photos or the “read more” links below to find out more about some specific stages of the project between 2017 and 2021.
An evolving heritage building
The church contains medieval wall paintings dating from the 13th century, graffiti carved in the 1500s….
read more
Our vision for sharing the heritage
St Leonard’s Church embodies 900 years of social, religious and architectural heritage. As with any building of that age, …
read more
Project progress report
After a three-year fundraising campaign and over a year of repairs to save the church, we now want to share its heritage…
read more
Preparation and repairs
The major repairs have now been completed. Preparing for them involved detailed survey work using high tech laser scanners …
read more