THE Church of England’s position of holding “the biggest portfolio of listed buildings in the country” and its contribution to the “bewildering array of craft skills” which it sustains was highlighted by bishops in the House of Lords this month.
Speaking in the “Craft Industry: Support” debate, the Bishop of Southwark, the Rt Revd Christopher Chessun, used the example of “local-parish endeavour”, which is deployed “to maintain 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 am thinking 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, as well as woodwork, both functional and artistic.”
Bishop Chessun referred to the “beneficial social impact” on local communities, and the educational outreach work of many churches through their support of the heritage sector. “The reduction in the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme . . . will have a direct effect on commissions and contracts awarded to skilled 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 new apprentice stonemason at York Minster is introduced to the craft
The Bishop of Chichester, Dr Martin Warner, took up the theme “to stress the importance of capacity for long-term funding in order that long-term planning can be undertaken by these fragile groups”. He spoke of “the forms of arts and crafts seen in cathedrals”, with reference to his previous experience at St Paul’s Cathedral. Careers were encouraged, conservation work was undertaken, and new textiles were commissioned, all by cathedrals, he said. “These are all ways in which crafts overflow from the Church into the wider community.”
Earlier in the debate, Lord Lingfield (Conservative) described “the Wren international centre of excellence at St Paul’s Cathedral . . . created out of a space at the level of the cathedral’s crypt, which was previously used for storage. The new 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, such as the cathedral-workshop fellowship. We look forward to the opening of York Minster’s Centre of Excellence, and we also heard about the Wren International Centre of Excellence. . . We all share their anxiety about the changes and uncertainty surrounding the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme. . . We need skilled craftspeople for this very building if we are to look after the UNESCO world-heritage site in which we presently sit.”
Summing up for the Government, the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State at the Department for Culture, Media and Sport, Baroness Twycross, responded to the Bishops’ concerns. “I do not want to suggest that we do not recognise the role that the restoration of churches plays in the preservation of skills. However, given where we were fiscally, we had to make changes to [the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme]. On its future, funding after 2026 will be considered as we work through the departmental business planning process.”
She said how “organisations directly and indirectly supported by the Government are investing in craft skills, including . . . the Churches Conservation Trust. Further excellent work is happening to address demands, such as . . . York Minster’s Centre of Excellence for Heritage Skills and Estate Management, and . . . the excellent work at St Paul’s.
“People in this country produce some of the finest crafts in the world. I am clear that we have an incredible richness of craftspeople in this country, and I am seeking to identify ways to ensure that the sector is supported to grow.”
