A CHURCH that has dedicated itself to the memory of Lewis Carroll has received £371,000 towards a new visitor centre.

As mentioned in Limited Edition’s feature about the author last issue, Rev David Felix of All Saints Church in Daresbury was hoping to secure funds to further celebrate Carroll’s work.

The Alice in Wonderland author spent the first 11 years of his life in Daresbury and his father Rev Charles Dodgson was vicar at the church.

The ‘wonderland’, made possible thanks to a Heritage Lottery Fund, is to house an interpretation centre of the writer’s life and works and will be accompanied by a series of educational activities.

Rev Felix said: “We are thrilled by this news. The grant will enable us to turn a dream into a reality which we are sure Lewis Carroll would have appreciated.”

Sara Hilton, head of Heritage Lottery Fund in the north west, added: “Our grant will enable the church to transform the way that visitors to the village can learn about Lewis Carroll, his early years and sources of inspiration.”

The listed building also boasts an Alice in Wonderland stained glass window created in 1935 to mark the centenary of the author’s birth and the font in which he was baptised.