heritage principles. What was of concern to them was the lack of current lists for most of Wales. They believe that the lack of a completed survey has left Wales in a situation where at present the heritage is vulnerable and has been depleted unnecessarily. Without upto-date lists, the owners of historic chapels are placed in a position in which they are unable to plan for their property needs with any sense of certainty. Of the 129 chapels identified by Professor Anthony Jones in 1983 to be preserved at all costs, only 58 are at present 'listed' and therefore protected. This is now being addressed nationally by Cadw, but the report noted slow progress and recommended proposals to reduce further losses of chapels of sufficient interest to be listed by the means of a thematic survey. The working party learned that the number of past or existing chapels is unknown. It has been estimated that the figure is between 4,500 and 6,000 but the working party has found that no one as yet does know. A few of the religious denominations were able to give accurate numbers for their chapels in use, but because of the historic nature of the Nonconformist tradition, which often favoured an autonomous structure for local congregations, total figures are not available. The Methodist Church and the Presbyterian Church of Wales each has a centralised administration but in other cases the complexities of local trustees tend to bring about a lack of knowledge, including whether some chapels still exist with active congregations. The report expressed the concern of the working party at the lack of other data to help to define the problems with chapels. Information is not at present available and little has been, or is being, undertaken to assess or improve the condition of chapels. The report recorded that chapels are under threat; organisations and people have spoken about their concerns, and the evidence can be seen all over Wales. Some local authorities have provided schedules of closed chapels but the evidence we have managed to gather is fragmentary. MAIN CONCLUSIONS The working party was asked to consider two issues: first, whether chapels of significance will be presented for preservation and secondly, what type of body would be best suited to owning and managing these chapels of significance. The working party believed that it had been hindered from answering the first question with precision because of the inadequate information available. The crucial factor was seen as the lack of statutory lists of buildings of special architectural or historic interest for Wales as a whole. This is compounded by the lack of published illustrated inventories of chapels and meeting houses similar to the work of the Royal Commission on Historic Monuments in England. Our conclusions therefore stepped outside the brief in order to recommend ways of rectifying the vulnerability of the Nonconformist heritage. (i) The working party, having found ~------------------, great difficulty in obtaining informa- ~ ADVERTISEMENT tion on chapels, believed that there is 30 ORION HERITAGE MANAGEMENT SYSTEM • Listed Buildings • Property Management • Museums and general Heritage use Linked if required to digitised images (e.g. 35mm slides or photographs), plans and maps • Windows based Single or multi-user Works with mid-range PCs Flexible and user-friendly Allowing fast access and resolution of queries Complying with latest EU Recommendations Built-in comprehensive Help files Scanning and data conversion services Clients include major heritage organisations Comprehensive leaflet from: ORION IMAGING LIMITED Tel: 01633-868811 Fax: OJ633-868968 E-Mail: info@orions.co.uk Internet: http://www.orions.co.uk an urgent need for a census of chapels to obtain a short list of basic information for each chapel. The report recommended that this survey, if undertaken as a joint exercise between the Royal Commission on Ancient and Historical Monuments in Wales and CAPEL, the voluntary learned society, could be relatively inexpensive and be undertaken within one year. (ii) The working party believed that a body is required to take charge of chapels that are both, redundant and significant examples of the Nonconformist heritage. These may be of architectural interest, have historical associations or be significant examples of the simple buildings of the dissenting tradition. The preserved chapels should be conserved to the highest standards and be open for visitors and occasional use. The report recommends the setting up of a body and that it should be a charitable trust limited by guarantee and be called the Wales Chapels Conservation Trust. The WCCT should have three primary roles: (a) The WCCT should act as an advisory body, to assist chapel trustees on building conservation and planning matters. (b) In order to fulfil its other roles, the WCCT should have a second role as a source of information on chapels. The completion of the census as proposed will be essential but further work is needed. (c) Immediately following the proposed initial census, the report recommends that a survey of chapels be undertaken as a Thematic Survey of Listed Buildings. If Cadw is unable to complete a survey within 18 months, it is recommended that the WCCT undertakes this work as one of its first tasks and pursues funding for this survey through the National Heritage Memorial Fund. In this survey, it is recommended that criteria for listed chapels are reconciled with the criteria for churches and take account of the native contribution of the dissenting tradition. (iii). Separate from the Wales Chapels Conservation Trust and its advisory role, there is the opportunity for suitable new uses to be secured for redundant chapels through the operation of Building Preservation Trusts. There is a compelling argument to establish a revolving fund Religious Buildings Preservation Trust specifically limited to religious buildings in Wales. The advantages would be that the level of expertise and efficiency would be greater in a trust dedicated solely to saving chapels. and churches. Trustees would be likely to have considerable experience of religious life in Wales and be able to establish confidence and an assurance of probity between the Trust and religious denominations. The report recommended that a religious buildings trust be established soon after the formation of the WCCT. UPDATE The autonomous nature and impoverished circumstances of most of the individual chapels in Wales makes a combined effort by the Nonconformist denominations to save historic chapels a difficult if not impractical task. The main protagonist is therefore Cadw but Tom Cassidy, the chief executive, has stated that, though Cadw wishes to help, it is Cadw's view that the voluntary sector should take the initiative. In England, the Historic Chapels Trust was set up in 1993 as an independent charity with Jennifer Freeman as its Director but English Heritage acted as a facilitator and continues to give finanCONTEXT 52
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjgyMjA=