Restoration work is underway at a fire-damaged County Durham chapel after a £400,000 grant was awarded.

The funding from Historic England is set to prevent further deterioration of the former Catholic college at Ushaw, near Durham.

In July 2023, an arson attack caused extensive damage to the Grade II listed Junior House and the roof of the adjacent Grade II* St Aloysius Chapel.

Phil Braithwaite, director of UK Restoration Services, said: "UK Restoration feel privileged and proud to work on and play an important role in stabilising and reviving the Chapel and Southeast wing.

"These works play a strong part to enable the architects, Crosby Granger and structural engineers, The Morton Partnership the ability to inspect the chapel internally and put a restoration rescue plan in place for the much-loved historic building."

Conservation specialists, Crosby Granger Architects, have been tasked with managing the critical restoration work, alongside structural engineers, The Morton Partnership.

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The team has developed a strategy to commence the restoration, working with UK Restoration Services on a 12-week programme of clearance and stabilisation.

Repairs began in June last year but were paused due to the discovery of nesting barn owls in the roof space.

The fledglings have now departed, allowing the restoration work to continue.

The current phase of work is expected to be completed by January 2025.

Chloe Granger, director at Crosby Granger Architects and an AABC-accredited conservation architect, said: "Ushaw played such an important role in the religious history of the north and with it, the most amazing collection of highly decorative Pugin chapels.

"We are now on with emergency work to St Aloysius chapel and later this summer we can take a good look at what damage has been caused, what needs to be done, and how we put it all back together."

Scaffolding is set to be erected to protect the highly decorative chapel interior, allowing architects and engineers to assess the remaining structure.

Designs for the reinstatement will then be drawn up and the total restoration cost will be calculated.