A vicar has spoken of his delight after his church received more than £200,000 for vital restoration.

All Saints Church, in Church Lane, Edmonton, has been given £216,500 by the Heritage Lottery Fund to help restore the 15th Century church tower.

The historic tower was put on conservation group English Heritage's 'at risk' register four years ago as needing urgent repair.

Made of Kentish ragstone, the church has had ongoing patchwork and temporary repairs since Victorian times.

However, with the grant in place, the Grade II-listed church tower is one step closer to undergoing a full restoration, much to the delight of the Rev Stuart Owen, vicar at All Saints.

He said: “I’m delighted that thanks to the generous support of the Heritage Lottery Fund, we will finally be able to begin work on restoring this beautiful church which is treasured by so many people in Edmonton and across the Borough of Enfield.

“Our HLF grant is hugely significant, but the tower repairs will still cost us a further £100,000. If anyone would like to support us, we’d encourage them to join our friends scheme or to contact me directly.”

Sue Bowers, head of Heritage Lottery Fund London, added: "Our grant will enable a start to be made on the most urgent repairs to this Grade II* listed church.

“This will help to conserve the only medieval church in the local area and contribute to its removal from the English Heritage ‘at risk’ register. The project will also provide parishioners and visitors with much more information about this building and its more than six centuries of history.”