Conservation Policy

Conservation Policy Abstract

The Trust’s conservation philosophy is guided by its unique position in having responsibility for a large number of important historic, but redundant, churches, and by its desire to expand community access and use. All Trust churches are listed, mostly Grade I, and some are Scheduled Ancient Monuments. They are worthy of preservation for a wide variety of reasons, all linked to their ‘cultural significance’:

Architectural / aesthetic – There is quality and beauty in architecture and fittings. They may be examples of a new style of design, e.g. St. Mary, Magdalene, Stapleford, which was designed in the ‘Gothick’ style, or All Souls, Haley Hill, Halifax, a church by Sir George Gilbert Scott in the Perpendicular style.

Some churches are exemplars of technical innovation, e.g. St. James, Toxteth, with the earliest known surviving use of cast iron columns.  Others possess rare or interesting decorative schemes, or notable adaptations and changes.

Historical – Churches are rich in historical associations, recording historic events e.g. St. Mary, Battlefield, built by Henry IV to give thanks after the Battle of Shrewsbury in 1403, or people, e.g. Christ the Consoler, Skelton-cum-Newby, built in memory of a much loved youngest son, Frederick Vyner, killed by Brigands in Greece in 1870.

Archaeological – Churches are significant architectural artefacts by virtue of below ground as well as standing fabric. Survival endows them with special interest. There is a particular atmosphere about a church that has remained largely untouched for centuries, e.g. St. John the Baptist, Inglesham and Holy Trinity, Goodramgate, York.

Social and cultural – Churches have local and cultural significance for a variety of reasons. St. Helen’s, Little Cawthorpe is a Victorian church that at the time of its building was considered by “The Ecclesiologist” as a paradigm of the type of church which the Ecclesiological Society commended for parishes with modest resources. It remains unaltered since.

Landscape – Churches often have major significance as features in the rural and urban landscape, particularly so for towers and spires.  They give communities a sense of identity and locality and are often the most important built feature in towns and villages.

Many issues affect the Trust’s continued care and maintenance of its churches. These include natural decay over which it has little control, legislation such as Health & Safety and Disability Discrimination Act compliance, provision of access and requirements for services such as heating to facilitate greater community use, and financial constraints. Statutory funding is limited, and may decrease in real terms in the future. The Trust is working to increase its sources of non-state funds.

The Trust recognises that work undertaken at churches falls into two distinct but related categories – repair and conservation, and adaptation and alteration resulting from or to facilitate increased use. Priorities for undertaking work will continue to be established in relation to making churches wind and watertight, but these will be balanced with opportunities presented by churches where access and community goals can be achieved through investment in the fabric.

The life of most buildings can be extended almost indefinitely with proper care and maintenance. At its simplest, conservation is care through prudent maintenance – the slow and continuous replacement of what has decayed and the protection of what would otherwise decay. The Trust thus places great emphasis on effective maintenance to prevent the causes of decay and, thereby, reduce costs.

The Trust arranges a maintenance contract at every church –  frequency of attention will depend on individual circumstances but will include clearing rainwater goods and emergency repairs to keep churches wind and watertight. It inspects its churches at least twice a year to identify problems and deals with issues, including vandalism, within an appropriate time scale to limit ongoing decay and minimise costs. It appoints an expert consultant to advise on the detailed condition of each church at least every 6 years and arranges regular tests of services e.g. electricity supplies and lightning conductors.

The Trust recognises that planned maintenance may not be sufficient to protect the fabric, and that more detailed repair and conservation work is required. The Trust’s general principle for this work is one of minimum intervention. The Trust will undertake minimum necessary repairs to extend the life of the building fabric. New work will be made to fit the existing fabric, protective elements e.g. string courses will be given priority, discreet changes will be made only where these are necessary, patching will be done where viable, e.g. lead roofs, until wholesale replacement becomes necessary for economic reasons. It will use modern materials where necessary, but prefers traditional materials to modern as they are compatible with the original fabric.

The first priority is repairs to keep churches wind and watertight, e.g. maintain roofs, walls, windows and rainwater goods/drainage, and to slow down as far as possible the mechanisms of decay. The next priority is internal presentation e.g. plaster, decoration, floors, pews. The lowest priority is given to fixtures and fittings e.g. monuments. However, this is subject to special circumstances that may exist at individual churches and to opportunities for use. Churches with greater conservation value may attract more resources than those with less notable features.

The Trust records changes made to churches to provide a clear historical record, and follows technical policies specifying standard levels of care and maintenance for its church fabric and fittings. It obtains specialist advice and records archaeological details where appropriate or legally required. Initial decisions on whether adaptations should be undertaken will be made by the Trust, and then formal consent will be obtained from statutory authorities. All proposed alterations to Trust churches require Listed Building Consent.

In his preface to Church Poems (1981) Sir John Betjeman wrote ‘Without a church I think a place lacks its heart and identity’. These are disarmingly simple words but they sum up what for many people is most cherished and valuable about the nation’s historic churches, and the central importance they have in the life of their communities. The Trust’s Conservation Policy aims to inform its continued care and maintenance of these important buildings for present and future generations.

Whilst the Trust’s statutory objective is the preservation of its vested churches, it wishes to encourage positive and creative thinking about new ways of using and interpreting them. The Trust recognises that on occasions there will be a difficult balance to be struck between the cultural significance of a church and the demands of greater use. The Conservation Policy endeavours to do justice to these two issues, by means of a procedure that ensures a consistent approach and a justifiable outcome duly recorded for the benefit of current and future generations.