Devon’s wonderful churches: The jewels in our communities
Gems come in all shapes and sizes and for most of us, something we can only aspire to. However, we all have one in our midst which is often taken for granted – the parish church!
These glorious buildings, created by our forebears with enormous skill, are not only one of the most outstanding features in our communities. If you step inside you will discover our rich heritage of craftsmanship, with examples of skills rarely seen elsewhere and of immense beauty and creativity.
The range of architectural design and location is substantial - many with glorious interiors like the amazing screen to be found in Sheepstor Church and the wonderful country setting of Ermington with its famous twisted spire. Devon is one of the most fortunate areas of the country in so many ways, with the beauty of its coastline and countryside, its moors and valleys, enhanced in every community by the church at its heart.
The importance of these buildings is undeniable; representing history, architecture and continuity through the generations; a place of quiet contemplation in times of personal crisis or thanksgiving at the end of a life; a place for celebration at a time of birth or marriage and even for those who do not attend regular services, they provide a spiritually uplifting occasion to come together with ones neighbours at Easter, Festivals and Christmastide.
However, the fine fabric and creative craftsmanship are not the only gems to be found in our local churches. Praises should undoubtedly be sung for the volunteers who work so hard to maintain, refurbish and enhance them day by day, year after year in myriad ways. The challenges they face are never-ending and constantly changing; illustrating considerable strength, ingenuity and determination in their fight against their exposure to the elements, the endless need to raise funds to cover running costs and the weighty load of increasing and complex regulations. And then – the tower shows a fault line, the tiles slip away, dry rot is found in the fabric – a multitude of horrors appear, all requiring extra grit and resources from these human treasures at the heart of our communities.
At times like these our churches need all the friends they can garner – and amongst them is the Devon Historic Churches Trust, dedicated to funding repairs for the preservation of our Christian architectural heritage.
Like our parish communities, it is a volunteer organisation working hard to raise funds so that a vital life-line of financial aid can be provided to Devon churches in their time of need. The ethos of the trust is ‘never to say no’ to any application within its remit. It is very aware of the complex nature of funding applications required by other sources, so the DHCT has a simple, easily accessible format for each church. This enables funds to be awarded with the maximum speed and the minimum of red tape. This brings its own challenges to the trust and its search for funding from supporters via donations, fundraising activities and legacies is unceasing, but unwavering, knowing that their mission is too important to allow it to fail.
But the vital funds required to provide these fabric saving grants, together with support for re-furbishing our church buildings so that they are warm, comfortable and have the facilities required for regular use, need to be raised by the DHCT and we celebrate so many generous communities that ‘go the extra mile to fundraise for us on our Devon Historic Churches Day – the second Saturday of September every year. On this day we urge all our churches to be open and welcoming visitors, organising a community event or taking part in Ride+Stride when we can all be out enjoying our glorious countryside and gaining sponsorship for our adventures or any activity of our choice.
The DHCT recently received a generous legacy which they have dedicated to delivering emergency funding to help churches who need immediate assistance when the unexpected occurs, while they search for long term solutions – we pray for more thoughtful donors who will enable us to continue and extend this important work to preserve our heritage.
So when you hear your church bells ringing out in your neighbourhood, it is good to remember the network of hardworking local volunteers working day by day to ensure the church survives; the skilled professionals who deliver the work required in enabling these unique and historic buildings to be there for future generations and the Devon Historic Churches Trust, dedicated to providing the vital financial support when it is needed.
Judith Kauntze, Trustee, Devon Historic Churches Trust