Parishioners at Holme, near Hunstanton, have been awarded a lottery grant of nearly £250,000 to carry out repairs to St Mary's Church, a familiar landmark where the chalk downs slope towards the sea.

Martin Crown, a parochial church councillor who is the building's fabric officer, said defects surfaced during the church's last quinquennial survey, which need to be attended to.

Martin Crown inspects St Mary's Church at Holme (Image: Chris Bishop)

From left, Sally Crown, Martin Crown and Sally Betterton at the church at Holme (Image: Chris Bishop)

"The lead on the tower roof is well past its sell-by date, it's worn thin," he said. "The pinnacles on the top are cracking, if they fall off that's obviously going to do quite a lot of damage.

"The walls around the top, the parapet walls all need to be repointed too, they've got cracks in."

Scaffolding alone will cost £50,000, while the repairs are likely to cost the lottery grant of £249,849, along with more than £60,000 raised locally, including donations from villagers, the Help Holme Church Group, the Holme Village Trust, Geoffrey Watling Charity and a legacy from an unnamed benefactor.

St Mary's Church at Holme (Image: Chris Bishop)

The tower at St Mary's Church, at Holme (Image: Chris Bishop)

St Mary's has a peal of five bells in its 90ft Grade I listed tower, which makes it unique among the eight churches form the Saxon Shore Benefice stretching from Burnham Deepdale to Hunstanton and a rarity on the Norfolk........

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