Days out with The Churches Conservation Trust and English Heritage

03 Apr 2012

The Churches Conservation Trust and English Heritage have launched a joint initiative to encourage visitors to visit CCT churches located close to English Heritage sites and vice versa. This is the first collaboration of its type for The CCT.

The new collaboration sees the properties of the two heritage organisations promoted alongside each other in English Heritage’s new 2012/13 handbook, just in time for the Easter visiting season.  Fifty-three fascinating CCT churches, which are conveniently close to popular English Heritage sites, have been featured in the guide. The CCT and English Heritage are also featuring a selection of each other’s attractions on their websites – making a day out even easier to plan.   

Some of the great days out:

  • St George’s Church and Portland Castle, Dorset
    Sharing the same rocky peninsula, the properties are a short drive apart. St George’s Church is one of Dorset’s most magnificent 18th-century buildings with a fabulously preserved interior and an atmospheric churchyard. Portland Castle overlooks the harbour and was built by Henry VIII as a defence against possible French and Spanish invasion.

    St George's Church, Portland


  • St Mary’s Church, St Peter’s Church and Richborough Roman Fort, Sandwich, Kent
    Evocatively sited amid the East Kent marshes, the Roman fort is the most symbolically important of Roman sites in Britain, witnessing both the beginning and almost the end of Roman rule here. Two miles away, St Mary’s occupies what may be the oldest church site in Sandwich, which has survived despite the town’s sacking by the French in the 13th & 15th centuries, an earthquake in the 16thand the collapse of the tower in the 17th. St Peter’s church is a local landmark with much of the building dating from 800 years ago.

    St Mary's Church, Sandwich

  • Holy Trinity Church and Clifford’s Tower, York
    Tucked behind one of York’s busiest shopping streets, Holy Trinity has fine box pews and medieval stained glass. A short walk away, Clifford’s Tower stands atop the mighty fortress mound raised by William the Conqueror in 1068. Built during the 1250s for Henry III, the Tower was the keep and chief strongpoint of York Castle, the greatest royal stronghold in medieval northern England.

    Holy Trinity Church, York

Crispin Truman, Chief Executive of CCT commented: “We are delighted to have the opportunity to be working with English Heritage on this project.  Our aim is to bring out the connections between our sites and encourage visitors to CCT churches as well as English Heritage sites when they are planning a day out.”

He continued: “As custodians of some of the greatest church treasures in England, the CCT is keen to work in partnership with like-minded organisations as part of our drive to make the most of the growing interest in history and heritage sites.”

Simon Thurley, Chief Executive of English Heritage, said: “Both English Heritage and the CCT look after some of this nation’s greatest architectural treasures. Many of the CCT churches are conveniently located near the properties in our care and I hope that this new collaboration will help people discover more of them.” 

Visit the English Heritage website