The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has awarded a grant of £772,000 to secure the future of one of Ipswich’s most important historic buildings. Currently unused and largely closed to the public, St Peter’s Church in the town’s Waterfront area will be adapted as a concert venue, giving it a sustainable future and opening it up for regular community use for the first time in many years.

The grant has been awarded to the Ipswich Hospital Band, which is running the building project and will oversee St Peter’s ongoing use as a concert venue. A host of volunteers will be able to get involved in its day to day running, as well as developing display materials about the history of the church.

At present St Peter’s is redundant and only open to the public for half a day per week during the summer months. This project will bring the church back to life for everyone from musicians and volunteers to the thousands of concert goers and visitors who will directly benefit from its restoration.

Work will include erecting a stage and 205 seat auditorium, as well as sound and lighting facilities, to accommodate a variety of performances. There will also be essential conservation work to the fabric of the building, and a range of displays to tell the story of the church’s history, which dates back to 1130. The church will be fully accessible for disabled visitors.

Robyn Llewellyn, Regional Manager for the Heritage Lottery Fund in the East of England comments; “It is so exciting to help bring a wonderful historic building like this back to life for local people to enjoy.

“St Peter’s is an absolute gem, located right in the middle of a major regeneration area, so this scheme ticked all the boxes for us. The funding will help to secure a future for one of Ipswich’s key churches, and enable thousands of people to come and visit, whether enjoying a concert performance in a truly unique environment, or just dropping in to soak up centuries of local history.”

Vic Lowne of the Ipswich Hospital Band adds: “We are absolutely over the moon about this award; apart from giving us much needed rehearsal and performance space, it will establish our position as a major contributor on the local musical scene. We are quite certain that other local organisations will benefit from our initiative. We are indebted to Ipswich Borough Council and the Ipswich Historic Churches Trust for their support.”

In addition to musical performances, the refurbished church will be available for a wide variety of arts activities. Events at the church will be promoted through the Tourist Information Centre and will form part of the Ip Art Festival.

St Peter’s is one of six redundant medieval churches in Ipswich, and was built in Romanesque style as the church of the Augustinian Black Canons of the Priory of St Peter and St Paul. The existing aisles were added in 1400 and the west tower in 1470. Cardinal Thomas Wolsey refurbished the church in 1528 to serve as the chapel of his short-lived Cardinal College of St Mary, and ten years later St Peter’s became an ordinary parish church.