The Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust has been awarded £256,000 from The National Lottery Heritage Fund. This is the first stage of support for their project to preserve and enhance Abingdon’s oldest building. Detailed planning work on the project will start early in 2023 and take two years.

The National Lottery Heritage Fund can then consider the plans at the second stage, where £2,500,000 could be awarded towards the full project.

Commenting on the award, Bryan Brown, Chairman of the Trust, said: “We are delighted to have received this support thanks to National Lottery players. The buildings, including the Unicorn Theatre, are a vital community asset, and it is great to know that we are a step closer to making them accessible for all, for generations to come.”

The Abbey Buildings are the last intact buildings of the Abbey of Abingdon, dissolved by Henry VIII.

The Abingdon Abbey Buildings Trust (previously called the Friends of Abingdon) saved the Abbey Buildings in 1944 and developed them into an important community asset containing the Unicorn theatre.

The Abbey Buildings are used by a wide range of community groups and host heritage events. To find out more about the Abingdon Abbey Buildings see https://abingdonabbeybuildings.co.uk/.

Since The National Lottery began in 1994, National Lottery players have raised over £43 billion for projects, and more than 635,000 grants have been awarded across the UK.