The English Parish Church through the Centuries: available now: £17.50 plus p&p
'The English Parish Church DVD-ROM is an extraordinarily rich resource. Without this knowledge people are strangers in their own churches.' The Most Revd and Rt Hon Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury
Christianity & Culture's DVD-ROM The English Parish Church through the Centuries: daily life & spirituality, art & architecture, literature & music contains several sections on the care, use, maintenance and re-ordering of churches, supported by case-studies showing how different approaches have worked in real churches. All sections are written by experts in their field and cover such topics as:
Each section offers down-to-earth, practical advice with suggested sources for further information or more specific guidance.
Christianity & Culture also works with churches to develop ways of interpreting your building and bringing your story of faith to life for visitors and your own local community. You can see examples of projects we have undertaken by clicking on Partnerships.
Badly corroded 14th century glass: copyright Sarah Brown
The Church of England, as well as many other organisations, is committed to providing help and support to the many thousands of people, paid and unpaid, who are involved in the care, use and maintenance of churches. Listed below are some links to websites you may find useful, but please be aware we at C&C are not responsible for the content.
www.churchcare.co.uk
This is maintained by the Church of England and has lots of help and guidance on practical topics. It also has news of conferences you may find useful.
www.english-heritage.org.uk/caring/places-of-worship/
English Heritage are able to offer advice and support, as well as being part of the regulatory process. This section of their website is particularly focussed on church matters.
www.icon.org.uk
This is the site for the UK Institute of Conservation, the main point of contact for locating and Accredited Conservators for specialised work or advice. It also has guidance information on how to choose the right specialist for you.
www.divine-inspiration.org.uk
A site showcasing a project run through the Diocese of Coventry.
www.spab.org.uk
The site for The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.
This has excellent technical advice and further sources of information.
www.churchart.co.uk
This site is maintained by the Church of England and states that "CHURCHart exists to encourage artists, congregations, and those involved in the care of churches to foster and engage the arts in the life of the church."
Wall painting from All Saints, Croughton
20th March 2012 - Buildings for Mission? a Practical Training day for clergy, lay leaders, architects, conservation officers, and anyone involved with their church. To be held at St. Mary's, Church Fenton, York LS24 9RD Click here for more details and a booking form
Christianity and Culture are developing a range of training resources and study packs which will be downloadable from this site. If there is a particular topic or theme you think we should cover, or if your church would like us to run a training session for you, please let us know via the Contact link.