Parish churches appear as permanent as the landscape itself but, sadly, this is not so. For reasons such as
population mobility in both town and country and falling church attendances, manu of them cannot now be maintained
for the purpose of their building as the Church of England no longers needs them and they become
redundant as
places of worship.There is a formal procedure within the Church of England for declaring a church
redundant and for
giving careful consideration to what becomes of it afterwards.
Some redundant churches find other uses such
as places of worship for other denominations, as concert halls, cultural
centres, office or even residential housing - some are even demolished. Others, however, are so important to the
cultural heritage of the nation because of their historic, architectural or archeological interest, that their
preservation must be secured.
It was for the conservation of these important but
redundant churches that
The Churches Conservation Trust
was established - without it, many of these churches would probably disappear or, at best, only
survive the years as crumbling ruins.
