Lincoln’s oldest church is set to be installed with some very 21st century technology: solar panels.
St Mary le Wigford , in High Street, will undergo the unusual renovations after it emerged it came close to closing in 2023.
Church warden Chris Woodcock described how the technology will be prevented from damaging the church’s appearance.
He said: “We have a church hall round the back which has a flat roof which is well past its sell-by date and needs replacing. So, the idea is to replace the flat roof and to put solar panels on top of the church hall.
“This will help with its electrical heating and should open more funding for us. It won’t spoil the look of the church because it faces onto a carpark and railway track.”
St Mary le Wigford’s renovations contribute to the Diocese of Lincoln’s goal of carbon net zero churches by 2030.
According to the Diocese, carbon emissions “across nearly one thousand buildings have declined”.
Father Sion Hughes, priest-in-charge at St Mary le Wigford, described how many other aspects of the church still require renovation.
He said: “There’s no proper heating here at the moment and we need new lights as the original ones don’t work anymore.
“Our organ is very broken, and we still want to re-open the church tower door as the main entrance rather than the little workman’s shed that we have at the moment.”
These are only minor issues in comparison to St Mary le Wigford’s financial problems in the immediate aftermath of the Covid-19 pandemic.
The church – which was first built in the 10th century – was said to be on the verge of closure until its congregation formed a Parochial Church Council to help its revival.
Parish archivist Michael Garrot has been attending the church for 10 years and has been helping to secure funding for the building.
He said: “I wrote a statement of historical significance to help the church apply for a renovation grant because it needs quite a lot of renovation work, especially on the roof.”
Michael, who met his wife at St Mary le Wigford, explained that the church should carry out community services to secure more funding.
He said: “The church should still be a point for worship but it also should be available for groups who wish to hire the venue for various activities. It can’t rely purely on a congregation to generate the funds.”
