BUCKINGHAMSHIRE HISTORIC CHURCHES TRUST The Bishop of Oxford, the Rt Revd Dr Steven Croft & the Archdeacon of Buckingham, Canon Guy Elsmore, preparing to leave Dunton Church to support this year’s Ride+Stride. ANNUAL REVIEW 2018 / 2019 www.bucks-historic-churches.org President Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt KCVO Vice-President The Right Revd Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham Trustees 2018/2019 Mrs Caroline Abel Smith OBE Appeal Committee (Chairman) & Inspection Committee Mrs Cherry Aston Inspection Committee The Lord Carrington Canon C H J Cavell-Northam Mr Roger Evans Inspection Committee (Chairman) The Hon Mrs Farncombe Appeal and Inspection Committees Mr Andrew Finn-Kelcey Inspection Committee Mrs Jennifer Moss Inspection Committees Mrs Marilynne Morgan CB Chairman, Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches Mr Tim Oliver Mrs Vicky Peel Appeal Committee (Secretary) Mr Robert Ruck-Keene Mrs Mary Saunders MBE Inspection Committee Mrs Mary Villiers OBE Appeal and Inspection Committees / Ride & Stride Organiser Other Appeal Committee Members Mrs Nina Newton Ride & Stride Administrator Mrs Kate Eckett Mrs Candida Godber Mrs Diana Home Mrs Anne Oakley Officers Hon Secretary Treasurer Mrs Penny Keens Mr Laurie Johnson 377 Japonica Lane c/o Community Impact Bucks Willen Park Place Farm Way Milton Keynes Monks Risborough MK15 9EG HP27 9JS Phone: 01908 242 632 Phone: 0845 389 0389 Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Registered Charity No: 206471 2 2 THE PRESIDENT’S INTRODUCTION Once again I have pleasure in introducing our Buckinghamshire Annual Report and in recalling President the past financial year 2018-2019 taking the Sir Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Bt KCVO opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to a busy and successful year. Vice-President The Right Revd Alan Wilson, Bishop of Buckingham First, we awarded a total of £54,000 to churches, mostly for repairs and restoration which included Trustees 2018/2019 Mrs Caroline Abel Smith OBE Appeal Committee (Chairman) & Inspection Committee £4,000 for the installation of roof alarms against Mrs Cherry Aston Inspection Committee the theft of lead. The list of churches which have The Lord Carrington suffered such a theft – in some cases more than Canon C H J Cavell-Northam Mr Roger Evans Inspection Committee (Chairman) once – is distressing, as is the effrontery of the thieves, but the Archdeacon’s The Hon Mrs Farncombe Appeal and Inspection Committees roof alarm fund, to which BHCT has contributed matching amounts for eight Mr Andrew Finn-Kelcey Inspection Committee churches, is encouraging. We must hope that we can eventually stamp out Mrs Jennifer Moss Inspection Committees this menace, which both leads to structural damage to our churches and Mrs Marilynne Morgan CB Chairman, Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches Mr Tim Oliver places an intolerable financial burden on PCCs. Mrs Vicky Peel Appeal Committee (Secretary) Talking of financial burdens, I should like to draw attention to A Stitch in Time, Mr Robert Ruck-Keene Mrs Mary Saunders MBE Inspection Committee a short article in this report by Mary Saunders, a BHCT Trustee, on the need Mrs Mary Villiers OBE Appeal and Inspection Committees / Ride & Stride Organiser to be vigilant in preventing small problems becoming large ones. I am sure it will strike a chord. Everyone with responsibility for our churches should Other Appeal Committee Members act on it: please do if you don’t already. Mrs Nina Newton Ride & Stride Administrator Mrs Kate Eckett Next I am happy to report that our fundraising team have been very Mrs Candida Godber successful this year with a charming new event – Gardens Near a Church – Mrs Diana Home Mrs Anne Oakley a lovely Summer Reception and an encouraging result from 2018 Officers Ride+Stride, which came back with a total of just over £31,000, an increase Hon Secretary Treasurer of over £6,000 on the previous year. Mrs Penny Keens Mr Laurie Johnson With renewed thanks to all our supporters and best wishes for the coming 377 Japonica Lane c/o Community Impact Bucks Willen Park Place Farm Way year. Milton Keynes Monks Risborough MK15 9EG HP27 9JS Henry Aubrey-Fletcher Phone: 01908 242 632 Phone: 0845 389 0389 President Email: [email protected] Email: [email protected] Registered Charity No: 206471 2 3 3 THE REVD CANON CAVELL CAVELL-NORTHAM 1932 - 2019 Canon Cavell Cavell-Northam, who died on 20th September 2019, was a Trustee from 1985 until earlier this year. He grew up in Buckinghamshire and inherited his love of churches from his father. Following his ordination Cavell served as a curate in the parish of West Wycombe and later priest- in-charge of Downley. In 1961 he was appointed Vicar of Lane End in the Chilterns between Marlow and Stokenchurch. The Bishop of Buckingham persuaded Cavell and Pauline to take their daughters Olivia and Lucy to live in Stony Stratford in 1968 with the difficult job of preparing the parish to become part of Milton Cavell and Pauline at Lane End Church after the Keynes. In 1991 Cavell was appointed an service to celebrate 60 years of his ministry Honorary Canon of Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford. After thirty very happy and fulfilling years at Stony Stratford and the neighbouring parish of Calverton, Cavell retired from active parish life and he and Pauline moved back to Lane End in 1997. Over the years he served as the Chairman, and later a member, of the Bucks Historic Churches Trust Appeal Committee and a member of the Inspection Committee. When he retired, he said that of all the things he had done for the Trust he was most proud of having established the Friends eleven years ago. In recognition of his long service the Trustees made Cavell and his wife Pauline honorary life members of the Friends. Cavell, his knowledge of the Buckinghamshire Churches, and his devotion to the work of the Trust, are sadly missed. Penny Keens Hon Secretary 4 4 MAINTENANCE - A STITCH IN TIME Care and maintenance make a place of worship welcoming. This includes the physical care and maintenance of the fabric of the building as well as care for the safety of those who use and maintain the building. A wet and rainy day is ideal for going round the church and noting what is happening. A good raincoat and waterproof shoes are as important as a notebook and camera. Overflowing hopper heads, blocked gutters and downpipes, and slipped slates are signs of damage which should be noted and dealt with as soon as they can be. Inside the building, there are things to look for as well – preferably without getting wet. Moisture, salts, organisms and light as well as wear & tear and vandalism can all affect precious monuments, glass and furnishings. On less wet days, there can be checks around the building for overgrown vegetation at all levels. Is there grass, ivy, ferns or even a tree growing where it should not? These are all signs of damp and potential harm which can usually be easily kept in check. Regular checks and maintenance will prevent further deterioration which can rapidly escalate into major repairs and costs. These will not, of course, prevent major problems caused by materials coming to the end of their life, structural failure or violent damage by storm, fire or vandals but they should ensure that the building is kept in good order for as long as possible. This approach is not just an obsession of Archdeacons and DAC Secretaries. Nor, indeed, is it a modern concern. Sir Christopher Wren when Surveyor of St George’s Chapel, Windsor said “Cause some men to go round about, for drips come suddenly and do great mischief.”. 5 5 William Morris had as one of the founding principles of the Society for Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) “Stave off decay by daily care.”. There are a number of sources of information and assistance to help those who are responsible for the upkeep of places of worship. The SPAB have been pioneers in encouraging and educating those responsible for maintenance of churches and chapels. Their Lottery funded schemes Faith in Maintenance and Maintenance Co- operatives are now finished, but there are still resources available on the SPAB website. The Church Buildings Council on its website has a useful calendar of maintenance with a checklist of tasks for each month. The National Churches Trust has developed Preventative Maintenance micro-grants up to £500 for work such as gutter clearance if the work is booked through their MaintenanceBooker scheme of contractors. The Quinquennial Inspection Report is another useful tool in developing a maintenance programme as it should draw attention to things which need to have an eye kept on them as well as identifying short, medium, and long-term repairs. Finally, when carrying out maintenance, or observation, it is important to take Health and Safety and other risks and hazards into account. Ecclesiastical Insurance provide advice on risk management for people on church premises. 6 6 Some interesting current thinking about how to encourage maintenance emerges from the DCMS commissioned Review of Sustainability of English Churches and Cathedrals (‘The Taylor Review’). The aim in general is for a more coherent and informed approach to the care of places of worship. Amongst the recommendations of the Review are proposals to appoint officers and advisers to assist parishes in adopting maintenance plans and increasing community engagement. Another recommendation is for small grants for Minor Repairs (and in the long term a scheme for grants for Major Repairs). A pilot scheme is being carried out in Manchester and Suffolk which includes the appointment of a Fabric Support Officer and a Community Development Officer in each diocese.