TRUSTEES of the church where William Shakespeare was baptised and buried have appealed for help to safeguard the building’s future after dry rot and death-watch beetle were found in the main trusses of its chancel.

The Friends of Holy Trinity Church in Stratford-upon-Avon, a support group launched last June, said that the bill for restoration work had risen to £150,000, 50 per cent more than was estimated.

Catherine Penn, one of the trustees, said that work to repair the crumbling parapet was almost complete but other vital repairs were continuing at the 800-year-old Grade I listed building.

Shakespeare’s Church, as it is known, benefits from donations from up to 100,000 visitors each year, but the chancel, north and south aisles and north and south transepts are all in need of repair.

Mrs Penn said that donations had dipped because of the reduction in visitor numbers since September 11 and the recent Sars scare.

“The Friends have just handed over a cheque for £30,000 and things are going well at the moment, but tourist numbers are well down,” she said. “We are hopeful that things will improve and, if anyone wants to sponsor a gargoyle, we would be more than happy to hear from them.”

Timesonline January 02, 2004
By A Correspondent