CULTURE secretary Sajid Javid announced a grant of nearly £600,000 for repairs to Portsmouth Cathedral as he visited our historic building.

Culture secretary Sajid Javid and the dean of our cathedral, the Very Rev David Brindley

The Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport saw for himself where the grant would be spent as he climbed the steps to the top of the cathedral’s 17th century tower. The money will be used to repair its bell tower, cupola and south transept, protecting them from rain damage.

He visited on the day that his department announced grants worth more than £8m for 31 cathedrals across England as part of the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund.

Our cathedral received the largest amount as part of this round of funding, and all of the funding it applied for.

The fund was set up in April to recognise that our cathedrals are a powerful symbol of Britain’s shared history and the significant role they are playing throughout the commemoration of the centenary of the First World War.

Speaking in our cathedral nave, Mr Javid said: “It’s great to see this cathedral for myself. The whole purpose of this grant is not just to protect the heritage of our cathedrals, but also to support the huge amount of work they do in our communities. I’ve heard about some of the work this cathedral does in the city for those, regardless of religion or background. This allocation of £600,000 will go a long way to supporting this cathedral.

“Our places of worship are also playing a huge part in all our plans to commemorate the centenary of the First World War, and this fund is helping to ensure they can fulfil this role to remember those who gave so much for us so many years ago.”

The cathedral’s application came after the winter of 2013-14, which was one of the wettest on record. Our cathedral suffered from relentless salt-laden wind and rain, which meant water penetrated the tower and south transept.

The entire interior of the east end of the cathedral had previously been redecorated in a project that was completed in May 2013. The stormy weather last winter saw some of that redecoration spoilt by damp.

The repair work is likely to start in April 2015 and be completed next year. It will include replacing defective lead work in the tower to prevent water getting in, as well as repointing the exterior stonework on the south transept.

Mr Javid also met entrepreneurs from the Cathedral Innovation Centre based across the road in Cathedral House as part of his visit. The centre is used to incubate small businesses, with a mix of cheap office space, start-up grants and mentoring.

For more photos from his visit, click here.