Plan launched to save heritage of Scotland's for-sale churches

The Herald Scotland

2 days ago

However, around one third of the country's places of worship are predicted to shut by the end of this decade – from buildings with their roots in medieval times to modern structures of architectural significance.
Now work is to begin to explore practical solutions to avoid the loss of heritage when churches are closed, while sharing resources and prioritising sites for further action.
The Society of Antiquaries of Scotland and Scotland's Churches Trust have received a £229,015 funding boost to help ensure a sustainable future for Scotland's churches and their contents.
St Mary's Parish Church, Whitekirk, East Lothian (Image: Credit - Scotland's Churches Trust) With almost 200 religious buildings already closed since 2020, the two bodies say the problem is an immediate one which constitutes a 'national challenge for the heritage sector' as many of these churches hold tangible and intangible cultural heritage significance.
In addition to their religious and ceremonial use, they also possess tangible architectural, historical, archival, genealogical, archaeological and artistic legacies.
These can be of local, regional, national, and international importance and may be sold, lost or damaged depending on the fate of the building.
The grant, from the National Lottery Heritage Fund will fund the Finding Futures for Scotland's Churches project and will be used to support the collection of information on these heritage buildings.
There will also be work to fill knowledge gaps using heritage surveys, with opportunities for local communities to get involved.
This information will be made publicly accessible through a dedicated microsite with a regularly updated database and blog.
Many churches are repositories of heritage and cultural artifacts in their architecture (Image: Scotland's Churches Trust) The two-year project will draw together people to connect with organisations as part of an action group to explore practical solutions, share resources and prioritise sites for further action.
It will also develop a plan to ensure heritage of local and national importance is not lost when churches are re-used or re-purposed.
The National Lottery Heritage Fund also brings to the project its own strong record of delivering new futures for Scotland's historic church buildings through previous work.
With support from The National Lottery Heritage Fund, Govan Old church in Glasgow has been transformed into an internationally-significant heritage attraction as the home of the Govan Stones.
These Viking-age monuments are said to be among of the best collections of early medieval sculpture anywhere in the British Isles.
In the Cairngorms National Park, the Fund is also supporting the community in partnership with Historic Churches Scotland to develop a new role for St Margaret's Church in Braemar as a cultural hub and performance venue through a grant awarded in 2024.
St Margaret's is considered the finest Scottish work of celebrated ecclesiastical architect Sir John Ninian Comper.
However, with several hundred churches already on the market, there is a national challenge to understand their significance and address their loss as they are bought and repurposed or sink into dilapidation.
Govan Hogsback stone (Image: Credit - Peter Devlin) Dr Helen Spencer FSAScot, Head of Research at the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, said: 'Thanks to National Lottery players, the Society will be able to work with communities across the country to bring together crucial information about the heritage of Scotland's churches.
'Working with Scotland's Churches Trust and the many other groups involved in caring for these places of worship, we hope to make the heritage sector much better prepared when churches are closed or re-purposed, to ensure that important treasures are not lost to the nation forever.'
Dr DJ Johnston-Smith, Director of Scotland's Churches Trust, added: 'For hundreds of years, communities across Scotland deposited a trove of culturally significant heritage in their local churches all across the country. This collective cultural inheritance needs to be documented before it vanishes from public sight, possibly forever.
'We look forward to working with the Society of Antiquaries of Scotland, The National Lottery Heritage Fund and colleagues to continue the roll out of our Rapid Church Recording methodology and our ongoing collaborative work with the local congregations and communities who are currently writing the next chapters in the stories of these precious historic buildings.'
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Caroline Clark, The National Lottery Heritage Fund Director for Scotland, said: 'For centuries, churches have been cultural and physical landmarks at the heart of Scottish community life. A meeting place, a repository of lives and histories and a physical link to the intangible heritage of generations.
'We recognise the significant challenges now facing those churches. This project will take a strategic lead in ensuring there is accurate recording of the heritage of individual churches.