In celebration of Church Tourism Week on the theme of ‘storytelling’, our Director Rachel Morley explores the concept of the ‘thin place’.
Church Tourism Week – Twitter Photo Competition
We’re celebrating Church Tourism Week from 20th-29th July 2018 by giving away two copies of our book, ‘Saving Churches’ , worth £20, to the best photo of a Friends church …
61 Years Saving Churches
We’re 61 years young today! Pretty good for a charity formed in defiance by Ivor Bulmer Thomas at the decision of the then Redundant Churches Fund to turn away churches …
‘Bat Training’ at Castlemartin
Castlemartin* church in Pembrokeshire is special for many reasons – but perhaps the most unusual is the important role it plays in ‘bat training’. The church is home to at …
Ballidon, Derbyshire
All Saints’, Ballidon can be tricky to find – and to interpret! Through the gap in a wall, which leads to a path and then to the church – a …
Long Crichel church vested with the Friends
St Mary’s Long Crichel is our only Dorset church. Both peculiar and picturesque, Nikolaus Pevsner described St Mary’s as ‘… a Georgian space in Perpendicular form, long, uniform, well-lit – …
In Defence of Beauty
Rachel Morley explores how historic churches should be better valued for their longevity, centrality to place-making, craftsmanship and beauty in their own right.
Rhoscrowther – Wind Farm Refused
Good news for Rhoscrowther church this week as a proposal for five, 100 metre high, wind turbines overlooking the church (which would have caused substantial harm to its setting) has …
Our HLF Consultation Response
Earlier this year, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) launched a public consultation to inform its Strategic Funding Framework for the next five years. The consultation focuses on HLF’s role, vision …
Goodbye to Matthew
In March 2018 our Director Matthew Saunders retired after 27 years as Director of the Friends, and 41 years as Secretary of our sister charity, the Ancient Monuments Society. It …