historic religious buildings alliance a group within the heritage alliance what do we know about...

Historic ReligiousBuildings Alliance a group within the Heritage Alliance

What do we know about Trusts looking after churches?

Trevor CooperChair, the Historic Religious Buildings Alliance

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CHURCHES NOT USED FOR REGULAR WORSHIP

sometimes called ‘closed’ churches

• Multi-building Trust

• Single-building Trust (local)

LIVING CHURCHES, USED FOR REGULAR WORSHIP (two examples known to me)

• Single-building community Trust (local)

Types of Trust caring for CofE churches


England

‘Closed’ churches looked after by Trusts

Wales Scotland

Excludes National Trust, English Heritage etc

Free, RC, etc

Anglcn Free, RC, etc

Anglcn Free, RC, etc

Churches Conservn Trust

Other multi-building Trusts

Single-building Trusts

343

52 26 21 6 1 6

5+ 5+ 2+ ? 80-100 40+

Open churches ?? ? ? ? 2 ?


Churches Conservation Trust – State and CofE (England)

partly funded by government and CofE

statutory duties

urban and rural

Multi-building Trusts (‘closed’ churches)343


Stratford Tony, Wiltshire, closed church, CCT




statutory duties

urban and rural

Friends of Friendless Churches – England and Wales, membership, rural, mixed denomn

Historic Chapels Trust – England, urban and rural, not Anglican

Norwich Historic Churches Trust – England, regional, urban, CofE

Norfolk Churches Trust – England, membership, regional, rural, mixed denomn

Scottish Redundant Churches Trust – Scotland, rural, mixed denomn

Welsh Religious Buildings Trust – Wales, rural, nonconformist

Ipswich Historic Churches Trust – England, membership, regional, urban, CofE


44

20

18

13

7

6

4


Mundon Essex,closed church, FFC


Mundon Essex, closed church, FFC


Rackheath, Norfolk, closed church Norfolk Churches Trust


Yr Hen Gapel, Llwynrhdowen at Rhydowen in care of Welsh Religious Buildings Trust


St Margaret, Braemar closed church, Scottish Redundant Churches Trust


St Margaret


Walpole, Suffolk,Historic ChapelsTrust


St Margaret’s, Ipswichclosed churchIpswich Historic ChurchesTrust


St Mary-de-Westwick,cared for by Norwich HistoricChurches Trust




statutory duties

urban and rural

Friends of Friendless Churches – England and Wales, membership, rural, mixed denomn

Historic Chapels Trust – England, urban and rural, not Anglican

Norwich Historic Churches Trust – England, regional, urban, CofE

Norfolk Churches Trust – England, membership, regional, rural, mixed denomn

Scottish Redundant Churches Trust – Scotland, rural, mixed denomn

Welsh Religious Buildings Trust – Wales, rural, nonconformist

Ipswich Historic Churches Trust – England, membership, regional, urban, CofE


44

20

18

13

7

6

4


• Characteristics

• Use varies

• from ‘preserve’ (curatorial) to ‘find new use’

• Some Trusts have strong membership base

• Some Trusts set up local groups (related to use?)

• Issues

• can be heavy dependence on small number of large funders

• general pressure (recession)

• funders less interested now in curatorial model

Multi-building Trusts (closed churches)


• Book deals with England, CofE only

• No central list – hard to find

• number unknown – certainly more than 40

• Very local – set up by community initiative

• Reasons for foundation vary

• stop sale and development / keep valued building / keep graveyard access

• May own or lease building from diocese

Single-building Trusts (‘closed’ churches)


Subject is Trusts caring for churches• Subect is Trusts paying for all the costs of a church building

– not given new purpose – still kept as a church building– so not discussing cases where church converted for other use

That is• Discussion is not about associations helping with the costs

– e.g. ‘Friends Groups’– Between 500 and 1000 of these groups in England alone– Raise money for projects– Do not have responsibility for all the costs of the building

• Discussion is not about Trusts using closed church building for new purpose– theatre, museum, concert hall etc etc– important – but a different topic


Southolt, Suffolk,closed church,a local Trust


No Mans Heath, Warwickshire, closed church, a local Trust


• Usually deconsecrated. Uses vary, but typically:

• ‘Curatorial’, but willing to modify space to make it usable (e.g. toilets)

• hold a few services per year (popular / ? nostalgia)

• use building for fund-raising for operating costs (e.g. concerts, talks)

• may rent building out as a community space

• Capital sums raised by grants; no money put aside for future repairs

• Does purpose slowly change (from ‘keep building’ to ‘use building’)?

• Cost varies, can be as low as £2k per annum (insurance, quinquennial) but usually around £5k plus or minus

• Small number fail, most seem to continue

• Main problem is finding Trustees to continue the work

Single-building Trusts (‘closed’ churches)


• New idea: two examples known to me (may become more popular)

• Community-run Trust responsible for upkeep of entire building

• Congregation contribute money to Trust to use building for worship

Single-building Community Trusts (OPEN churches)


Fernham, Oxfordshire, open church, a community Trust


Yarpole, Herefordshire, open church, a community Trust


• Results:

• some costs transferred to Trust, financial certainty for congregation

• Trust has use of building (?nave) when not required by worshippers

• wider public engagement with building / more income streams

• organisation in place to do major fund raising if ever necessary orcontinue with building if congregation fell away

• Some theoretical issues, but no evidence that they have yet occurred

• control of the weekly timetable

• differing views over modification of the building

• sustainability of the Trust, particularly if costs rise

• how much rely on individual relationships

• Modern voluntary version of the original compulsory community-financing arrangements ???

Single-building Community Trusts (OPEN churches)


• When congregation alone cannot support church building, must somehow involve more people

• One mechanism is a Trust

• which has no need for new ‘purpose’ or regular income-generating use

• though funds must come from somewhere

• Evidence suggests Trusts may be sustainable and effective

• BUT for ‘CLOSED’ churches

• single-building Trusts may sometimes find it hard to recruit new leaders

• multi-building Trusts rely on large funders whose views change

• AND for OPEN churches

• not yet enough evidence of how the partnership will work

Conclusions

historic religious buildings alliance a group within the heritage alliance what do we know about...

Documents

heritage alliance england

heritage alliance rackheath

heritage alliance walpole

cofe churches

churches conservn trust

heritage alliance mundon

open churches

trust local living churches