THE Church of England’s position of holding “the most important portfolio of listed buildings within the country” and its contribution to the “bewildering array of craft skills” which it sustains was highlighted by bishops within the House of Lords this month.
Speaking within the “Craft Industry: Support” debate, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, used the instance of “local-parish endeavour”, which is deployed “to keep up and renew this precious inheritance” through the nation’s churches and cathedrals. He regretted “the Government’s decision to curb support for the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme” (News, 24 January).
Without church support, he said, “many skills would atrophy. I’m considering of masonry and stone-carving, the intricate textiles of altar frontals, banners, and vestments, the ceramics of tiles, painting, stained and engraved glass, and all manner of metalwork in buildings, utensils, and liturgical objects, in addition to woodwork, each functional and artistic.”
Bishop Chessun referred to the “helpful social impact” on local communities, and the academic outreach work of many churches through their support of the heritage sector. “The reduction within the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme . . . could have a direct effect on commissions and contracts awarded to expert craftspeople and artists. It will inhibit apprenticeships and dampen economic growth.” He asked the Minister, “if only on grounds of economic utility, to please guarantee an expanded future scheme”.
York MinisterA recent apprentice stonemason at York Minster is introduced to the craft
The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, took up the theme “to emphasize the importance of capability for long-term funding so that long-term planning could be undertaken by these fragile groups”. He spoke of “the types of arts and crafts seen in cathedrals”, as regards to his previous experience at St Paul’s Cathedral. Careers were encouraged, conservation work was undertaken, and recent textiles were commissioned, all by cathedrals, he said. “These are all ways through which crafts overflow from the Church into the broader community.”
Earlier in the talk, Lord Lingfield (Conservative) described “the Wren international centre of excellence at St Paul’s Cathedral . . . created out of an area at the extent of the cathedral’s crypt, which was previously used for storage. The recent centre is a workshop and training space for heritage craft skills . . . [and] very seriously needed.”
For Lord Parkinson, “the Church of England provides apprenticeships and training opportunities, equivalent to the cathedral-workshop fellowship. We stay up for the opening of York Minster’s Centre of Excellence, and we also heard in regards to the Wren International Centre of Excellence. . . We all share their anxiety in regards to the changes and uncertainty surrounding the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. . . We need expert craftspeople for this very constructing if we’re to take care of the UNESCO world-heritage site through which we presently sit.”
Summing up for the Government, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State on the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Baroness Twycross, responded to the Bishops’ concerns. “I are not looking for to suggest that we don’t recognise the role that the restoration of churches plays within the preservation of skills. However, given where we were fiscally, we needed to make changes to [the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme]. On its future, funding after 2026 can be regarded as we work through the departmental business planning process.”
She said how “organisations directly and not directly supported by the Government are investing in craft skills, including . . . the Churches Conservation Trust. Further excellent work is occurring to handle demands, equivalent to . . . York Minster’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management, and . . . the wonderful work at St Paul’s.
“People on this country produce a few of the finest crafts on the planet. I’m clear that now we have an incredible richness of craftspeople on this country, and I’m in search of to discover ways to be certain that the sector is supported to grow.”
