City to foot repair bill for its oldest building

The charity that runs Exeter’s oldest building – and rents it for the ‘fee’ of one loaf of bread a year – has welcomed a unanimous vote by the city council to foot the bill for urgent repairs.

But at the same time they have warned that the long-term future of the 11th Century St Nicholas Priory remains uncertain. More comprehensive work will be needed in a decade’s time if the oldest standing building in the city is to survive, they say.
All parties on the city council were united when it came to agreeing a £163,000 grant for repairs to the leaking roof of the priory.
“There is nobody else giving us the money,” said council leader Phil Bialyk (Lab, Exwick). “We need to take care of the assets of the city.”
Councillors heard that Historic England had turned down a plea for help from the Exeter Historic Buildings Trust, having had its own funding cut back. At that point the trust, which holds the lease on the priory and had already raised £10,000 from donations, reached out to the city council.
Cllr Matthew Vizard (Lab, Newton and St Leonards) paid tribute to the ‘fantastic’ work of the trust and said: “This is Exeter’s oldest building – a cultural and historical asset – and we have obligations towards it.
“There are no other options. This is pretty much a slam-dunk for us.”
St Nicholas Priory was built in 1087 on the orders of King William I. It was a Benedictine priory and stayed that way until 1536 when, in common with many other historic monasteries, it suffered the ravages of the Reformation.
In 2018, when the council leased part of the building to the trust as part of a community asset transfer, it fixed a symbolic rent of one loaf of bread each year.
St Nicholas – or St Nix as it is known – is now entirely run by volunteers and relies on raising funds from events, private hires and donations. The income covers running costs but cannot meet the cost of repairs.
Leaks in the roof first began to appear in 2022 with water coming through around the chimney stacks and damaging important Tudor wall paintings. 
While the roof itself dates back to 1456, it last had a complete tile replacement during the city council restoration of the building over a century ago. The decision by the council means vital work can start in the summer to stop the situation getting worse, and should guarantee that a complete replacement will not be needed for at least 10 years.
Jo Sinclair, vice-chair of the trust, said: “We are really grateful to Exeter City Council, firstly for saving this wonderful building over 100 years ago and again now for giving this money.
“Doing nothing would have endangered St Nix again. Of course, maintaining this Exeter landmark is a never-ending task and although this money will make a substantial difference we then need to start on the substantive work of preserving the wall paintings and other vital conservation works. Trustees are already working on a plan to raise funds for future works.  
“We are so grateful for the support of our many visitors, people that hire our rooms, and other donors from the local community. We are entirely run by volunteers who cheerfully give up huge amounts of time and effort to keep this important part of Exeter’s heritage alive for everybody to enjoy.
“Anyone wanting to help – or hire – is very welcome to pop in for a guided tour, or donate through our website.”
The Priory offers free entry every Sunday afternoon and all day Mondays.