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Article: Return to splendour For years Hawksmoor's Christ Church in Spitalfields was neglected - but saved from redevelopment by the poverty of the area. Now, thanks to a dedicated bunch of locals, London is regaining one of its finest monuments. PAUL BARKER reports
- Article from:
- The Evening Standard (London, England)
- Article date:
- May 25, 1999
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 1999 Evening Standard - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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STEP by step, one of London's greatest churches is being restored
to its former glory. Literally step by step. When concert-goers at
next month's Spitalfields music festival nip out for interval drinks
through the south door of Nicholas Hawksmoor's stupendous Christ
Church - they'll walk down a brand-new flight of baroque Portland
stone stairs.
These replicate Hawksmoor's 1720s design. His steps were knocked
down a century later to give extra room for the profitable business
of churchyard burial plots.
The restoration of Christ Church is an astonishing story of
persistence and cooperation.
About GBP 2.5 million has come from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and
GBP 600,000 from English Heritage. ...