AN enormous £26,000 conservation project at a church near Worcester is now complete.

Baroque Great Witley Church, home to what is believed to be one of the tallest funerary monuments in the country, has seen an intensive seven-week preservation operation on its most famous asset.

The statue depicts figures of Thomas Foley and his wife Mary – the first Lord and Lady Foley – sat on a pedestal surrounded by five of their seven children dates back to 1737.

After almost 300 years of candle and oil fumes the marble had been left looking dirty, discoloured and in serious need of cleaning.

It has taken a specialist conservation team from Mareva Conservation, led by Veronika Vlkova almost two months to restore the monument, which stands at more than eight metres (26ft) tall, to its former glory.

The work included wax polishing the memorial which should ensure that the only maintenance required for the next few decades will be a light dusting.

The cost of the work was covered by a grant from the Colonel W H Whitbread Charitable Trust, various legacies and donations from visitors.

Church warden Angela Snow said: "We are so pleased to see the memorial finally revealing it’s true beauty and are extremely grateful for all the donations that have been received towards the project, including from those many visitors who sponsored a 'jigsaw piece' to help us. We hope that it will add to their enjoyment of the many wonderful features in the church."

The sculpture was designed and carved by Michael Rysbrack, who also carved the monuments to the Duke of Marlborough at Blenheim Palace and Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey.

During the restoration the church, which annually attracts about 35,000 visitors from all over the world, was open as normal.

For more information about Great Witley Parish Church, visit greatwitleychurch.org.uk.