The Catholic Church in England and Wales
39 Eccleston Square
London
SW1V 1BX
Tel: 020 7630 8220
questions@life4seekers.co.uk
www.catholic-ew.org.uk

Methodists
Central Buildings
Oldham Street
Manchester
M1 1JQ
Tel: 0161 236 5194
enquiries@methodistchurch.org.uk
www.methodists.org.uk

United Reformed Church
Church House
86 Tavistock Place
London
WC1H 9RT
United Kingdom
Tel: 020 7916 2020
urc@urc.org.uk
www.urc.org.uk

Historic Churches Preservation Trust
A charity founded in 1953 and the leading body dedicated to preserving churches over 100 years old.
31 Newbury Street
London EC1A 7HU
Tel 020 7600 6090
info@historicchurches.org.uk
www.historicchurches.org.uk

Jewish Heritage UK
Dedicated to caring for the historic buildings, sites and collections of Britain’s Jewish community.
Dr Sharman Kadish
Jewish Heritage UK
P.O.Box 193
Manchester M13 9HZ
Tel 0161 275 3611
director@jewish-heritage-uk.org
www.jewish-heritage-uk.org

Open Churches Trust
Founded by Andrew Lloyd Webber to promote the opening of locked places of worship.
Brigadier Adam Gurdon
The Open Churches Trust
22 Tower Street
London WC2H 9TW
Tel 020 7240 0880
oct@reallyuseful.co.uk

Looking After Your Place of Worship

Churchcare
Churchcare is a 'one-stop shop' for anyone involved in the running of a church. Churchcare is run by the Archbishops' Council, serving the parishes of the Church of England, but most of its advice applies more widely.
www.churchcare.co.uk

The Council for the Care of Churches
The Council is a permanent commission of the Church of England's governing body, the General Synod. Its principal duty is to assist parishes to maintain their church buildings, contents and churchyards. It also maintains a register of craftsmen and artists working on new art in churches.
www.careofchurches.org.uk

Many of the bodies mentioned here can provide congregations with advice on commissioning suppliers of work and services to historic buildings and their contents. An extensive list of suppliers can be found in the Building Conservation Directory, published annually by Cathedral Communications Ltd. A searchable database is available via its website at www.buildingconservation.com The Institute of Conservation operates a similar database called the Conservation Register, the favoured source of the Council for the Care of Churches. The register can be accessed at www.conservationregister.com . Both are free to use by members of the public.

Always seek advice from a qualified expert. Many denominations employ architects or surveyors who can provide advice to congregations. The Church of England Diocesan Advisory Committee system and Jewish Heritage UK are examples of bodies established to provide congregations with guidance on which suppliers to use. Architects and surveyors can apply for conservation accreditation from their respective professional bodies. Registers of accredited professionals are available at www.aabc-register.co.uk (for architects) and www.rics.org (for surveyors).

Architecture and History

Ancient Monuments Society
Dedicated to the study and conservation of ancient monuments, historic buildings and traditional craftsmanship in the UK.
www.ancientmonumentssociety.org.uk

Ecclesiological Society
Society for the study of church architecture, furnishings and liturgy.
www.ecclsoc.org

The Georgian Group
The Georgian Group exists to protect and preserve Georgian buildings, monuments and landscapes
www.georgiangroup.org.uk

National Association of Decorative and Fine Arts Societies (NADFAS)
NADFAS Church Recorders are volunteers who make records of the contents of our national churches, thereby promoting the recognition and preservation of the rich artistic heritage to be found in places of worship.
www.nadfas.org.uk

SAVE
SAVE was created in 1975 by a group of journalists, historians, architects and planners to campaign publicly for endangered historic buildings
www.savebritainsheritage.org

Society for Church Archaeology
Aims to promote the study of churches and other places of worship along with their associated monuments.
www.britarch.ac.uk/socchurcharchaeol/

Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB)
The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings was founded by William Morris in 1877 to counteract the highly destructive ‘restoration’ of medieval buildings practised by many Victorian architects.
www.spab.org.uk

Twentieth Century Society
The Twentieth Century Society exists to safeguard the heritage of architecture and design in Britain from 1914 onwards.
www.c20society.org.uk

Victorian Society
The Victorian Society is the national society responsible for the study and protection of Victorian and Edwardian architecture and other arts.
www.victorian-society.org.uk

Bell Ringing

The Central Council of Church Bell Ringers
The Council is the representative body for all who ring bells by rope and wheel in the English tradition. Founded in 1891, the Council today represents 67 affiliated societies.
www.cccbr.org.uk

Brasses and Brass Rubbing

Monumental Brass Society
The Society for those interested in any aspect of monumental brasses.
www.mbs-brasses.co.uk

Chapels

The Chapels Society
Seeks to promote interest in the architectural and historical importance of all nonconformist places of worship and their associated structures.
www.britarch.ac.uk/chapelsoc

Methodist Heritage
www.forsaith-oxon.demon.co.uk/methodist-heritage

United Reformed Church History Society
www.urc.org.uk/history_soc

**Christopher Stell’s 4-volume Inventory of Nonconformist chapels and meeting houses is a good starting point for discovering the history of these buildings.

Graves and Graveyards

National Association of Memorial Masons
An organisation dedicated to furthering the memorial masonry industry.
www.namm.org.uk

National Federation of Cemetery Friends
Links a number of groups of volunteers with the common aim of conserving their local cemeteries.
www.cemeteryfriends.fsnet.co.uk

Organs

The British Institute of Organ Studies
Includes the National Pipe Organ Register (NPOR) and the British Organ Archive (BOA).
www.bios.org.uk

Sculpture and Monuments

Church Monuments Society
The society was founded in 1979 and offers a focus for all who have an interest in church monuments of all types and periods.
http://freespace.virgin.net/john.bromilow/CMS/index.html

Corpus of Romanesque Sculpture in Britain and Ireland (CRSBI)
The CRSBI is an evolving electronic archive of British and Irish Romanesque stone sculpture, much of which remains in parish churches and cathedrals
www.crsbi.ac.uk

Mausolea and Monuments Trust
A charitable trust founded in 1997 for the protection and preservation of mausolea and sepulchral monuments in the UK and Northern Ireland.
www.mausolea-monuments.org.uk

Public Monuments and Sculpture Association
Founded in 1991, the PMSA aims to heighten public appreciation of Britain's public sculpture and contribute to its protection.
www.pmsa.org.uk

Stained Glass Windows

The British Society of Master Glass Painters
Founded in 1921, the society is Britain's only organisation devoted exclusively to the art and craft of stained glass.
www.bsmgp.org.uk

Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi (CVMA) Great Britain
The CVMA is part of an international research project to research and publish all surviving medieval stained glass. Its website offers free public access to an extensive picture archive and database, together with information on publications and conservation.
www.cvma.ac.uk

The Stained Glass Museum
Offers a unique insight into the fascinating story of stained glass, an artform that has been practised in Britain for at least thirteen hundred years.
www.stainedglassmuseum.com

The Worshipful Company of Glaziers and Painters of Glass
One of the Ancient Livery Companies of the City of London, with origins dating back to 1328. Its primary focus is on the art and craft of historic and contemporary stained and decorative glass for buildings.
www.worshipfulglaziers.com