A Talk on Tuesday June 9th at 7.30pm

Meriel O'Dowd " Saving Wiltshire's Churches"

Drinks (wine, tea and coffee ) from 7pm in the Hinton Hall, Tisbury.

Meriel works for The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) which has saved over 350 ancient buildings and attracts almost 2 million visitors each year. Their unique collection of English churches includes irreplaceable examples of architecture, archaeology and art from 1,000 years of history.

The CCT operate the third largest heritage estate in charitable ownership in the UK. All of the churches in the collection are listed, mostly Grade I and II* and some are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.

The ongoing care of these historic buildings and community spaces is hugely important – and often challenging – for our expert team. Conservators do not restore features that are missing, but rather conserve what has been passed into guardianship. It is  accepted that we cannot stop decay, only slow it down. Conservation is the art of managing this process. Most of the CCT’s funding is spent on core repair and conservation work to ensure – as far as possible – that our churches are structurally sound, weathertight and well-presented for visitors whilst also caring for the artefacts and features in each church.  In Wiltshire alone, the CCT have saved 21 churches and are currently in consultation about a potential new vesting.

 The CCT not only repairs the damage from sometimes years of neglect but also works with local communities to bring them alive again, living once again at the heart of their communities. CCT’s vision is for historic churches to be enjoyed by everyone as places of heritage, culture, spirituality and beauty and for the significant contribution they make to communities, society and the economy. To achieve this they need to engage and inspire individuals and communities so that everyone can work together to conserve, enjoy and promote our fine collection of historic churches.  Working with volunteers, visitors and donors, the CCT aims to create innovative partnerships to ensure the churches thrive. The key is recognising what these buildings can contribute to modern life; whether as a heritage gem to discover during a walk in the country, a place to meet or learn, a cultural venue or a destination to visit as part of a day out. 

 Importantly, the churches remain at heart complete. They are all consecrated and available for occasional worship and their spirit, tranquility and sense of place remains intact with the CCT as their guardians, charged with protecting 1,000 years of history and keeping them open for people to use.