Grant helps restore cathedral window

Work on the window will take another four years

Almost £200,000 pounds has been given to Lincoln Cathedral towards restoring the Dean's Eye Window.

The money, from English Heritage, will be used to help conserve the 13th century stained glass window, considered to be one of the finest examples of its type in the country.

Work on restoring the window has been going on for the past decade and is expected to be complete in 2007.

The money is part of more than £2m pounds of government funding announced to preserve and repair crumbling churches.

Ceiling cracks

Cathedral officials say the grant will make a huge difference to the project.

Director of Fundraising, Peter Coleman, said: "The Dean's Eye window is currently the most important project we have on the go at the moment and English Heritage have very kindly given us the money to start the next phase of work.

"The cathedral costs £2.5m a year and we will need another £1m to finish the Dean's Eye window over the next four years, so the £194,000 for the next phase is obviously marvellous news."

The window is situated in the north-west transcept, currently sealed off while work continues.

The glass has already undergone restoration and the next phase will concentrate on the delicate stonework.

Other money from the grant will go towards fighting subsidence which has caused cracks to appear in the nave ceiling.