2009 Yearbook

32 Y e a r b o o k 2 0 0 9 BUILDING · CONSERVATION INSTITUTE · OF · HISTORIC · properly appreciated, and the extent to which it is sensitive to change. AHP has completed such reviews for the Roman Catholic dioceses of Liverpool, Leeds, Portsmouth, Lancaster and Middlesbrough. Still in progress are studies in the RC dioceses of Northampton and Plymouth, and a multi- denominational review of churches and chapels in North Staffordshire. The latter is the first ‘umbrella’ review of its kind, and should provide significant help for those responsible for advising and making decisions on churches in the region. Churches that are no longer used for worship present different challenges, and AHP has worked with English Heritage and The Churches Conservation Trust to advance best practice. Last year we prepared draft guidance for English Heritage on the reuse and adaptation of historic churches no longer in use for worship. Architecturally important churches are not often declared redundant, but when they are AHP is sometimes asked to prepare a conservation plan. This provides the new owners with information about the building’s historic importance, and lays out the parameters within which a feasible new use may be developed. Conservation plans remain integral to the process of applying for funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund. At the former church of St James the Less near New Mills in Derbyshire, for example, AHP’s recent conservation plan helped secure a Stage One Pass from the HLF. The building, which is Grade II listed and was declared redundant as a place of worship in 2005, was built in 1880 as a chapel of ease to the parish church of St George. It was designed (along with the adjacent almshouses) by William Swinden Barber, an eminent northern church architect, who provided a neo- Gothic building in local stone, with internal polychromatic decoration by Powell Brothers of Leeds. The St James the Less Preservation Trust was established in 2004 to save the building and explore the options for adapting it for use as a community arts centre. The conservation plan, completed in late 2008, charted the history of the building, assessed its significance and set out a series of issues, recommendations and policies to guide future work. The document should be a key tool for the trust as it pursues its goal of bringing the building back to active use. At the Grade I listed former church of St Mark in North Audley Street, central London, AHP also provided a conservation plan for the then owner, who harboured hopes of converting the building into a luxury spa. The church was finished in 1828, to designs by J P Gandy-Deering, with later alterations by Arthur Blomfield. St Mark’s outstanding Greek Revival exterior, complete with monumental Ionic portico in Bath stone, is a landmark in the Mayfair Conservation Area. The report provided an assessment of architectural and historic significance, and set out issues and vulnerabilities affecting the building’s fabric, along with a framework of policies to address those issues. Sadly, the building remains at risk and its condition is of pressing concern to Westminster Council and English Heritage. Even best conservation practice can fail our most treasured buildings when circumstances conspire against them. There is no disputing the importance of churches in shaping the nation’s heritage: they account for 45 per cent of all listed buildings in England. At the same time, they are often high maintenance structures, looked after by declining congregations who, occasionally, cannot prevent them from falling into disuse. AHP’s work aims to prevent this happening by flagging up issues before they can lead to a building’s decline. But, where redundancy does occur, a well-considered conservation plan can provide the tools to bring a building back into use. AHP has grown physically and geographically since its first conservation plan in 1999, but we are still a small practice, which allows us to work flexibly and efficiently. Our staff are a mix of experienced, ex-English Heritage historic building inspectors and younger, enthusiastic historians-in-training. The UK is home to an amazing, rich variety of historic buildings, and AHP is delighted to be able to help people better understand their significance. Lydia Wilson trained and worked as a journalist before taking a masters degree in historic conservation at Oxford Brookes University. She is senior associate at AHP. St James the Less in New Mills, Derbyshire (William Swinden Barber, 1880) is the object of another conservation plan by AHP. This redundant church is to become a multi-function community space for the arts.