It has taken a long time but it appears that work has now begun to repair the roof of Saltaire's historic United Reformed Church, opened in 1859 and now a Grade I listed building. You can see scaffolding and a cherry picker. The ceiling partially collapsed about two years ago, just before the start of lockdown, thankfully not injuring anyone. Since then the church has been closed, with its congregation holding services online. Although a lot of money has been spent and grants have been received in the past, it must be an ongoing worry for the relatively small congregation trying to maintain such a significant building and keep it open for services and visitors. I understand the latest minister has moved away to a new posting too, and according to the local newspaper (see HERE) a meeting has been called to discuss the building's future.
It's not only this church that is under threat. Across all Christian denominations, as the church-going population continues to decline, beautiful and historic buildings all over England face an uncertain future. I think some people honestly believe that they are maintained by public funds but in almost every case they are funded by their own congregations. A 'diocesan share' system operates (in the case of Anglican churches), effectively a tax on larger and wealthier congregations to support smaller parishes, but that is spent mainly on clergy stipends and housing rather than buildings.
It's almost unthinkable that worship in Saltaire's magnificent church will be permanently silenced and that it will remain closed to visitors, gradually left to decay. It's hard, however, to see a realistic alternative. Even asking for an admission fee from visitors would likely not help much, since that would mean the need for staffing. I don't think the church gets enough visitors to make much of an impact on its funding needs (unlike, say, one of our great city cathedrals).
I've realised recently that the Victorian architects were just as capable of getting their sums wrong and cutting corners than those from other periods. It's going to take a lot of effort and money to return the church to its former glory.
ReplyDeleteI didn't know the background of how church structures are funded. Here a church which stops having a congregation may often sell the building, and when the new congregation comes along, they are then responsible for its upkeep and repair. For that reason our UU congregation bought its building from the Christian Scientists, and a very large Presbyterian church nearby is now the home of a new denomination "One something or another." I do hope there's a way for your building which is central to your community will be supported even if people don't gather there on Sunday mornings.
ReplyDeleteIt would be so sad to see all of those fabulous buildings go to ruin.
ReplyDeleteThe church deserves the help.
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