C O N T E X T 9 3 : M A R C H 2 0 0 6 17 Richard Griffiths Caring for a thousand years of history The inaugural Churches Conservation Trust Annual Lecture was given by the architect Richard Griffiths, a CCT trustee, in 2005. The following is a shortened version of it. Conserving its collection of more than 330 historic churches is the fundamental purpose for which the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) was set up in 1969.Without the trust, many churches of exceptional architectural and historic interest no longer required by the Church of England for regular worship would at worst have been demolished, or at best have been undergone drastic conversion to alternative uses. To save them from this fate, funds are granted by the Church of England and from the State for (in the words of the Pastoral Measure 1983) ‘preservation in the interests of the Nation and the Church of England of churches and parts of churches of historic and archaeological interest or architectural quality’. This fundamental objective of preserving and repairing the churches has in recent years been widened to include the further strategic aims of promoting access and enjoyment through adaptations, education programmes and events; and of working with local communities to revitalise and increase the use of our churches. At present, about 30 churches are considered for redundancy each year, of which maybe three may eventually be vested in the CCT. Churches may be considered for redundancy for a variety of reasons, including a declining congregation, inability to afford the cost of repairs, or the existence of major structural problems. Only churches of major architectural and historic interest are vested in the CCT, where alternative uses could be accommodated only by means of alterations that would result in serious loss of architectural significance, or where demolition would be the only other possibility. In respect of those churches where vesting in the CCT is a possible outcome, the CCT commissions an architect to report on the condition of the church and on the cost of repair. The recommendations will generally be in two categories – first, repairs to put the external envelope of the church into a sound state of repair, keep the water out, and create adequate environmental conditions for the conservation of the fabric; and second, those works of internal conservation of monuments, fittings, finishes and decorations, possibly including desirable elements of restoration, that are desirable rather than essential. It is now the policy of the CCT to carry out all the works in the first category in advance of vesting, or at the time of vesting. In order to put the churches newly vested in the trust into a sound condition, a proportion of the trust’s income is ring-fenced within the new vestings budget, currently around £850,000 out of our total annual expenditure for conservation of around £4 million each year. The remainder of the budget available for conservation, around £3 million each year, is allocated to the budget for works to the existing estate. As a consequence, the funds available to address the needs of the second category of desirable but inessential work to the newly vested churches is very much more dependent on funds which are restricted for use on particular named churches, or on project-based fundraising. The architect’s report on churches being considered for vesting in the CCT will these days also address the facilities that affect accessibility and use of the church, including improving physical access in the The roofs of All Saints, Thurgarton, were propped by scaffolding when the Churches Conservation Trust took it on.They have since been renewed and the walls made sound.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=