Church Heritage & Conservation Resources
Welcome to the Church Heritage & Conservation Resources website where you can find the materials used or referenced in the current programme of training events. Each resource is listed under the course heading below. In addition, there is an A to Z list on the left hand side of the page where each resource can be located by clicking on it.
If you would like any advice about the care, conservation and maintenance of your place of worship, or want to book a place on a training course, please contact Tina Andrew, Church Heritage & Conservation Officer at tinaandrew@churchinwales.org.uk or telephone 02920 348226.
Church Care & Maintenance
Asbestos
This short guide from the HSE outlines how to deal with asbestos for anyone owning or managing a non-domestic building.
Click here to download
Bats
Bats are a protected species and it is illegal to kill them or disturb their roosts. If you need advice about bats, contact the Countryside Council for Wales on 0845 1306229 or visit their website (see link below). Further guidance can be found in the English Heritage & Natural England guide Managing Bats in Churches. Click on the link below to download.
Managing Bats in Churches
Countryside Council for Wales
Church Maintenance DVD
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) have produced a DVD that explores some of the problems you may find in and around your place of worship. It teaches you how to keep the building fabric in good condition by showing you what to look out for and giving you practical tips on carrying out everyday maintenance tasks.
Click here to view the online DVD
Electrical Installation Testing
Every electrical installation (wiring, sockets, light switches, etc), whether in a church, hall or domestic dwelling, deteriorates with use and over time. It is therefore important to get it inspected on a regular basis to ensure that users are not put at risk. This should be done every 5 years in a place of worship and be carried out by a suitably qualified person.
Click here to download a Best Practice Guide
Fire Safety
The Ecclesiastical Insurance Group (EIG) has a comprehensive guide to church fire safety on its website, which can be downloaded by clicking on the following link:
Click to download guide
Health and Safety
The Health & Safety Executive (HSE) produce a wide variety of guides including managing asbestos, the safe use of ladders and how to conduct a risk assessment. Click on the link below to go to the main website or see the individual links for other HSE guides referred to in the training session.
HSE Home Page
Insurance
All Church in Wales churches are covered by Ecclesiastical Insurance's Parishguard policy. In order to encourage PCCs to look after their places of worship and thus minimise insurance claims and keep premiums as low as possible, Ecclesiastical have a comprehensive range of information available on their Church Matters website. In addittion, they have a particularly useful guidance note that covers fire safety, electrical wiring, heating, repairs & restoration and lightning protection for churches.
Click here to download the guidance booklet
Click here to go to the Church Matters website
Ladders, Stepladders and Working at Height
For information on how to go about selecting the right type of ladder for the job, download the HSE guide below which discusses the safe use of ladders & stepladders. If you don't work at height very often or are unsure about which type of access equipment to use, it is important that you assess the risks and select the right equipment for the job. HSE's WAIT (Work at height Access equipment Information Toolkit) shows you some possible solutions.
HSE Guide: Safe Use of Ladders & Stepladders
Click here to go to the HSE WAIT Toolkit webpage
Portable Electrical Appliance Testing
It is important to ensure that all portable electrical appliances in your place of worship are in good condition to protect the people who use it. It is therefore recommended that these items (eg. fan heaters, kettles, etc) are tested on a regular basis.
Click here for further information from the HSE website
Risk Assessments
It is a good idea do a risk assessment of your place of worship to control the risks to people who use it and who are involved in its maintenance and upkeep. The HSE guide below is a simple five step process. Further guides (including example risk assessments of different types of premises) are available from the main HSE website.
Click here to download
Useful Websites
This document lists websites that deal with the conservation and maintenance of historic churches and buildings.
Click to download
VAT
The VAT reclaimable on repairs, maintenance and alterations to listed places of worship changed on 1st October 2012. 100% of VAT can now be claimed back for these works, although there are many exceptions. Comprehensive information is available from the Listed Places of Worship Grant Scheme website.
Click here to go to the website
Church Care and Maintenance Presentation Slides
If you would like a copy of the presentation slides used in the training session, please click on the links below to download them in PDF format. Note! There is a slight regional variation between the dioceses in the Introduction presentation.These files are also quite large (5MB to 7MB) so may take a short time to download.
Introduction St Asaph
Introduction Bangor
Introduction St Davids
Introduction Monmouth
Introduction Swansea & Brecon
Why Buildings Decay
The Importance of Regular Maintenance
Development & Community Use of Church Buildings
Development & Community Use Presentation Slides
If you would like a copy of the presentation slides used in the training session, please click on the links below to download them in PDF format.
Presentation Part 1
Presentation Part 2 - Case Studies
Useful Websites
Information on the development & the community use of church buildings and related topics can be found at the following websites:
Crossing the Threshold (Diocese of Hereford)
New Work in Historic Places of Worship (English Heritage)
ChurchCare (Church of England)
Renewable Energy & Your Historic Building (Cadw)
Chapels in Wales: Conservation & Conversion (Cadw)
Shrinking the Footprint (Church of England)
Eco-congregation
One Church 100 Uses
Faith-based Regeneration Network
PLANED: Sustainable Communities
Church Urban Fund
Churches & Faith Buildings: Realising the Potential (report)
Faculties, Permissions & Building Contracts
Listed Buildings and Scheduled Ancient Monuments
You can search for information on LBs or SAMs on the Historic Wales Portal. Alternately, you can speak to your Local Authority for LB information, or Cadw for both LB & SAM information. See links below for Cadw and the Historic Wales Portal.
Go to the Historic Wales Portal
Go to the Cadw website
Planning Permission and Building Regulations
Information about planning permission & building regulations can be found on the Planning Portal and the Directgov website. You can also contact your Local Authority.
Go to the Planning Portal
Go to the Directgov website
Minor and Emergency Works
Some minor works or maintenance tasks do not require a faculty. However, it is important to be able to identify these works as an accumulation of minor works or small changes to a church can have a significant impact on both its appearance and fabric over time. Always consult your DAC Secretary or Archdeacon for clarification. Also, carrying out emergency works to a church without a faculty is normally only justified when an unforeseen incident has occurred that will seriously affect the security or structural stability of the building, or the safety of people in and around it. For more information please click on the link below to download a guide.
Click to download Minor & Emergency Works Guidance Note
Contracts
The two most common types of contracts that PCCs will enter into for work to church buildings are Letters of Appointment and JCT Contracts. The Royal Institute for British Architects (RIBA) website has information on working with an architect and its own RIBA contracts. The JCT website has guidance notes and information on all of its contracts.
Working with an Architect (RIBA website)
Go to the JCT website
Constitution of the Church in Wales
The faculty procedure and its rules are part of the The Constitution of the Church in Wales. They can be found in Volume II - Rules of the Diocesan Courts. Click on the link below to go to The Constitution.
The Constitution of the Church in Wales
Faculties, Permissions and Building Contracts Presentation Slides
If you would like a copy of the presentation slides used in the training session, please click on the link below to download them in PDF format.
Click to download slides
Grants & Funding
RB Documents
The following documents from the Representative Body of the Church in Wales contain information relating to managing church building projects. Click on the document name to download it.
Managing Church Building Projects
Managing Smaller Church Building Projects
Appraising Future Church Building Needs
Wider Community Use of Churches & Church Halls
Grant Funding for Community Projects in Church Buildings
GRANTfinder and GRANTnet Databases
Each Diocese subscribes to a powerful grants & funding database called GRANTfinder. Please contact your Diocesan Funding Officer or Diocesan Office for more information on how to access the database. The smaller version, GRANTnet, is freely available to all. Click on the link below to go to the website.
Click to access GRANTnet
GRANTfinder Documents
The following documents from GRANTfinder contain useful information to help you when apply for a grant. Click on the document name to download it.
Successfully Securing Grant Funding: A Beginner’s Guide
A Guide to Writing a Fundraising Strategy
Preparing Your Business Plan: a “How to” Guide
How to Write a Winning Financial Plan
An Introduction to Better Writing
Grants and Funding Presentation Slides
If you would like a copy of the presentation slides used in the training session, please click on the links below to download them in PDF format.
G&F Presentation Part 1- Pre-Application Advice
G&F Presentation Part 2 - Grant Awarding Bodies
GRANTfinder Training Slides
The presentation slides are a useful guide for anyone wanting to know how to search the GRANTfinder database. If you would like a copy of the slides, please click on the link below to download them in PDF format.
An Introduction to GRANTfinder
Quinquennial Inspections & Reports
Quinquennial Inspectors Brief
The Constitution of the Church in Wales requires that the Diocesan Board of Finance, through its Churches and Pastoral Committee, appoints an architect or building surveyor to inspect every church in the Diocese at least once every five years. Click on the link below to download a copy of the RB Brief to Quinquennial Inspectors.
Click to download RB brief
Parochial Administration Handbook
Chapter 2 of the Parochial Administration Handbook deals with the management of property. This chapter includes a section on churches which discusses (amongst other things) quinquennial inspections and faculties. If you would like to go to this section of the Handbook, please click on the link below. Alternately, a second link is available for the whole of the Handbook.
Go to Chapter 2 - Churches
Go to the Parochial Administration Handbook
Quinquennial Inspections and Reports Presentation Slides
If you would like a copy of the presentation slides used in the training session, please click on the link below to download them in PDF format. The file is quite large (6MB) so may take a short time to download.
Click to download slides