St Michael and All Angels Parish Church in Haworth, West Yorkshire, had raised the £65,000 needed to secure £100,000 in funding from English Heritage.

But rising costs of building work now means it requires up to £50,000 more.

…

John Huxley, secretary at Haworth church, said: “We were overjoyed to learn we had reached the total, then knocked sideways by finding out building costs had gone up by so much.

“The reaction from the public to help raise funds has been absolutely phenomenal.”

The church said a meeting would be held on Tuesday to discuss further fundraising options.

From The Guardian:

St Michael’s roof is leaking badly in several places and the plasterwork and rare wall paintings above the altar are disintegrating. Unsightly plastic sheeting covers the beams over the organ console at the entrance to the corner of the church which is now designated the Brontë Chapel.

Of equal importance to many in Haworth this new year is the parallel struggle to deter developers from building further housing estates across the hills once crossed by the literary sisters and their potent cast of characters.

“There is an assault on the Brontë landscape going on,” said Huxley. “It is not deliberate, but the reason so many people come here is to see the streets and the hills and moor that the sisters wrote about. Some of these views should be sacrosanct.”

If you’re from England, if you’re near Haworth, if you’re a Brontë fan, if you’re a literary pilgrim - help repair the buildings and prevent housing development!