Worcester Cathedral has been offered a grant of more than £200,000 to carry out the latest phase of repair work on the historic building.

English Heritage yesterday announced repair grants of £1.9m, which will be divided between more than 20 cathedrals.

Worcester Cathedral will receive one of the highest pay-outs.

The £221,000 award will go towards repairing masonry and the roof.

The east end roofs of the Lady Chapel, the south and north aisles of the Lady Chapel and the Quire south aisle roof will be repaired.

The work will start in April and is expected to take 11 months.

Cathedral architect Chris Romain said they were very pleased to be offered the grant.

"We know English Heritage funds have been diminishing, but again we are in the top four or five cathedrals in terms of size of grant," he said.

"We have been getting consistently good grants from them, and we are delighted to have their assistance again."

The money will be vital to continue the project to return the 900-year-old cathedral to its former glory.

The project began in 1988, and needs about another £2m to bring it to completion.

The work is being overseen by the Development and Restoration Trust. The campaign to restore the cathedral started after a survey revealed that it was the English cathedral in the worst physical condition.

Richard Halsey, head of the cathedrals team at English Heritage, said cathedrals formed the architectural centrepiece of the historic cities which had grown up around them.

"They are important not only for their architecture and historic interest but for their works of art and the fine craftsmanship they contain," he said.

"This year's grants represent English Heritage's continued commitment to England's great cathedrals, some of the most magnificent buildings in the country," he said.

Since 1991, the Cathedral Grants Scheme at English Heritage has offered more than £35m for repairs to some of England's greatest buildings.

Hereford Cathedral is another of the benefactors, receiving £113,000 towards a programme of repairs to the east face of the Lady Chapel and the installation of a fire detection system.