HS2's Community and Environment Fund grant of £70,170 has helped to restore the Shenstone Tower, located in Shenstone village in Staffordshire.
The tower had fallen into disrepair, and the restoration includes installing a staircase to the top of the tower, and creating a new viewing platform on the roof enabling panoramic views of the village and surrounding countryside.
The tower and the church next to it were built in the twelfth century using bricks made from local red sandstone. The renovation has restored parts of the tower walls to how they would have looked when first erected nine hundred years ago.
HS2 set up its Community and Environment Fund (CEF) to add benefit to communities which have been disrupted by the construction of the high-speed line from London to West Midlands. The funding schemes will provide up to forty millions pounds in during HS2's construction timeline.
Grants are being allocated to support community-led projects that improve the environment, such as planting trees and improving energy efficiency. They also support initiatives that benefit local communities, such as new community facilities or local heritage and culture projects. Examples include the restoration of a section of Lichfield Canal and refurbishing a cricket pavilion in Warwickshire.
Jeremy Cotton, Chair of the Shenstone Tower trustees, said: “The old church tower was neglected, with crumbling masonry and trees growing out of the walls. We knew it was within four to five years of a catastrophic masonry fall.
“Thanks to the HS2 funding, we've been able to restore the tower and make it accessible to the public. The renovation includes a new platform on the roof so people can climb to the top and get a great view of the local area, and 13 historical information boards which tell the history of the local community since Saxon times.”
Helen Wass, Head of Historical Environment at HS2 Ltd, said: “HS2's wider historic environment programme is the largest in the UK and seeks to advance our understanding of the past, creating knowledge, engaging communities and leaving a lasting legacy.
“By funding the restoration of the Shenstone Tower, we are contributing to the valuable work of the Friends of Shenstone Towers and helping the local community to celebrate their heritage.”
Cathy Elliot, Independent Chair of the HS2 Funds, said: “The restoration of Shenstone Tower is a fantastic initiative driven by a group of dedicated volunteers from the local community, and as a CEF team we have visited the Tower to see first-hand the fantastic restoration that has taken place.
“The Tower has sat at the heart of the village for the last 900 years, and thanks to a variety of fundraising efforts and funders, including the award from HS2's Community & Environment Fund, it can continue to serve the local community for decades to come.”
I think someone used to call it “hush money”