Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust is celebrating after clinching a £4.75 million bid to rebuild the derelict former Dockyard Church.

Trust chairman William Palin said today: “This represents a great moment both for Dockyard Church and for the Isle of Sheppey and is a huge vote of confidence in our project.

“This is a building which, just a few years ago, appeared to be on the brink of collapse, with no future and no hope, standing as a melancholy reminder of the changing fortunes of this once proud naval Dockyard and community.

“Now it will become the focus of major investment to restore its dignity and give it a new future at the heart of the life in the region.

“At the end of the project, its monumental Classical portico will once again give entry to a building bustling with life where people will come for work and leisure with architect Rennie’s famous dockyard model drawing visitors from around the country.”

He added: “The dockyard church stood at the heart of the community for generations. This strong affection and sense of association has generated widespread local interest and support for the project as shown by the success of our open days, school events and Reminiscence Project.

“We are grateful to everyone who has supported us, in particular National Lottery players, without whom this grant would not be possible, and our partnership funders Historic England, Swale council, the Architectural Heritage Fund and the Pilgrim Trust.”

The campaign began in 2012 with the compulsory purchase of the church by Swale council supported by the World Monuments Fund Britain and SAVE Britain’s Heritage.

The Trust has received a Round 1 pass from the Heritage Lottery Fund for a Heritage Enterprise Grant. This has unlocked £500,000 of development funding with a further £4.2 million becoming available later.

The Trust is now able to appoint its professional team, including the project architect, and start £200,000 of urgent works, joint-funded by Historic England and the Heritage Lottery Fund, to make the crumbling building safe.

The former church will house a community cafe, event space, “enterprise centre” in association with the London Youth Support Trust and a permanent area to display the 19 century 40-feet long model of Sheerness dockyard created by architect John Renee.

The success marks the end of a two-year battle to save the church. The full cost of the work will be £8.5 million. The Trust must find the rest over the next year with a massive fund-raising drive.

Tessa Hilder, support officer for the Architectural Heritage Fund, said: “The future of this wonderful historic building would remain bleak without the courageous efforts of the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust.

“The impressive backing secured by the Trust for its innovative plans demonstrates the real difference a community-led charitable organisation can have in turning round the fortunes of buildings which matter to people. We are delighted to be supporting the Trust.”

Emma Wiggins, interim director of regeneration at Swale council, said: “We are delighted to have supported the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust in both securing the building and helping provide match funding for its successful bid.

“This marks a significant step in bringing the considerable heritage of Sheerness and the Isle of Sheppey to the fore, helping to support the visitor economy and acting as a catalyst for regeneration.”

“The prospect of a unique space for small businesses also presents a great opportunity. We see the Dockyard Church as a significant heritage project within the Island's wider heritage strategy.”

Tom Foxall, inspector of historic monuments and places for Historic England, said: “This substantial grant from the National Lottery for major works to the Dockyard Church represents a significant moment in a long campaign to save this outstanding local landmark.

“We are delighted that the considerable efforts of the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust, supported by the local community among many others, have been so justly rewarded.

“Historic England will continue its active involvement in this project, starting with a financial contribution to urgent repairs.

“We commend the overall objectives of the scheme and look forward to working with the project team on the details of a proposal that will finally see this building returned to its former glory and become a major asset to the community.”

Background:

The Dockyard Church was built in the 1820s to serve the officers and workers of the newly constructed Royal Naval Dockyard.

The architect was George Ledwell Taylor – surveyor to the Admiralty and designer of another famous Kent landmark, Hadlow Tower.

Ledwell Taylor worked to a masterplan by the great engineer John Rennie. Rennie had prepared the site of the dockyard by driving in millions of timber piles into the marshy coastal ground.

His state of the art dry docks and basins and mast house were the envy of the engineering world.

The church continued in use for a time after the closure of the Naval Dockyard in 1960 before becoming a sports facility and later a store.

In 2001 it was gutted by fire. In 2013 it was acquired by Swale council under compulsory purchase powers and vested in the Spitalfields Historic Buildings Trust.

In 2015 ownership was formally transferred to the Sheerness Dockyard Preservation Trust.