St Philip Litherland highly commended at the 2024 Natural Stone Awards

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In the Bulletin on 13th December, we featured an article about the National Stone Awards. On Friday 6th December, the Stone Federation hosted the 22nd Natural Stone Awards Ceremony at the Leonardo Royal Tower Bridge Hotel in London.

Held every two years, the Natural Stone Awards celebrate the best examples of natural stone used in construction and restoration projects across the UK and beyond.

The stonework on the North transept window at St Philip Litherland had deteriorated so severely that it needed to be replaced. It was for this restoration work, completed in late 2023, that St Philip’s was nominated in the Repair and Restoration (Ecclesiastical) category at the Natural Stone Awards. The church received a Highly Commended award. The judges noted, “The new window has a well-executed appearance, both internally and externally. This work is undoubtedly enhancing the appearance of this well-loved building, and the craftsmanship and commitment to the project should be acknowledged.”

Rev. Andrew Stott, Team Rector at St Philip’s, commented, “It was a real honour to be invited to represent St Philip’s at these prestigious awards. To be in the same category as Magdalen College Chapel, Oxford, and Salisbury Cathedral was amazing. I am incredibly proud of the PCC and congregation at St Philip’s, as well as our architects, Schafer Associates, and our stonemasons, Mather and Ellis. All the hard work put into this church has been recognised on a national level. This is just stage one of our restoration programme, and work continues to restore this Grade 2 listed church, making it fit for use for generations to come.”