The Anglican Cathedral of St Thomas of Canterbury and St John’s Roman Catholic Cathedral are amongst the 31 Cathedrals to receive grants thanks to the government-sponsored fund set up to support vital repairs to some of England’s most important historic buildings.

Portsmouth is one of the few cities with two Cathedrals and the Very Revd David Brindley, Dean of Portsmouth and Canon Dominic Golding, Dean of St John’s expressed delight that both cathedrals will benefit from the grants which are a sign from the government that these remain important places in our city’s life.

St Thomas’s in Old Portsmouth received £86,053 for the removal of the cement pointing and its replacement with lime mortar on the medieval exterior eastern wall. 

This grant follows the £600,000 from the second round of grants announced in Portsmouth last November. 

Work in the South Transept is already underway and repairs to the tower will begin in the summer when there will be opportunities for visitors to go up the tower and see the work first hand, whilst taking in a rarely seen view of the city and Solent.

St John’s received £79,800 for external masonry repairs which will enable badly needed work to the external stonework of a building familiar to the many locals who drive and walk past it every day and which has since 1882 been especially loved by the local Catholic community as their cathedral.

Canon Golding said: "Both cathedrals are well loved places of worship here in the city; visited by many for the spiritual peace and renewal they provide.

"During the First World War they will have been among the last churches seen and prayed in by members of our armed forces going off to war and after the 1915 Battle of Jutland in which so many Portsmouth men died they will have been where many grieving relatives will have come to pray."

Very Revd David Brindley said: "Our two cathedrals are important landmarks and together with the facilities they offer are used widely by the community. 

"We enjoy a close relationship and next month will be taking part in the national People Inspired programme holding a forum and hustings to bring together the people of Portsmouth in advance of the General Election to identify issues they want to see addressed locally and nationally."

The grants are from the final round of the £20 million First World War Centenary Cathedral Repairs Fund, which was first announced by the Chancellor in the budget in March 2014 in recognition of the powerful symbol our cathedrals are of Britain’s shared history, as well as the significant role they will play throughout the commemorations of the centenary of the First World War.