The Church of England logoFaithWorshipLife eventsAbout the Church
Information Contact us
Media Centre Home
Media

Churches Conservation Trust to take on ‘ghost village’ church?

23 March 2005

The Church Commissioners today publish a draft redundancy scheme providing for the preservation of the redundant church of St Giles, Imber by the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT).

Should the draft scheme be confirmed by Order in Council in due course, this will bring to a successful conclusion detailed discussions between the Church Commissioners, the diocese of Salisbury, the Ministry of Defence (MoD), the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS), and West Wiltshire District Council.

The Grade I listed St Giles's Church is situated in a churchyard on the slope of a pronounced hill overlooking the former village of Imber, which is located some fifteen miles north-west of Salisbury, deep within the Salisbury Plain military training area. The village, but not the church and churchyard, was requisitioned by the Army in 1943 and its buildings are used for training purposes.

Discussions have focused on issues of finance and of public access.  MOD has always recognised fully its responsibilities in relation to the church and has made significant financial contributions over the years to maintain the building, taking account of its historical importance.  Following discussions with the Commissioners and Lord McIntosh of the DCMS, Defence Minister Ivor Caplin MP was able to offer a major contribution as a financial endowment to enable vesting in the CCT to go ahead. 

Ivor Caplin said: “I welcome the initiative of the Church Commissioners in taking a long-term view of how best to maintain the church.  I am delighted with the proposed outcome, which is consistent with MoD's interest in preserving the national heritage.  The MoD will of course continue to make arrangements for visitors to have access to the church, consistent with the well established arrangements over many years”. 

The estimated repair cost is some £200,000, towards which the MoD has agreed to contribute £60,000 over three years.  It was agreed that this constitutes a full and final settlement of MoD's financial obligations to Imber Church. 

 

Notes

Evacuation of the village of Imber in 1943 was initially expected to be a temporary measure until the end of the Second World War. However, by 1947 the Army had decided to retain the village permanently for training purposes. In the years after the war, representatives of the Army and the diocese of Salisbury agreed arrangements for routine maintenance of the church; and that the church and churchyard would be “out of bounds” as far as training was concerned.

The church and churchyard, which contains some fine 17th, 18th and 19th century monuments, maintain a peaceful rural atmosphere. Following closure of the village the fixtures and fittings were removed to other churches nearby, mostly to Edington Priory. The building contains wall paintings, including an excellent Doom.

By 2001 it had become clear that the building was in need of extensive repairs. It was not possible for the parochial church council to accept liability for the maintenance of a building to which they only had effective access for worship once a year; they therefore requested that St Giles be declared redundant.

The church was formally declared redundant with effect from 1 November 2002. The Advisory Board for Redundant Churches (the Commissioners’ statutory advisers on such issues) considers the church to be of considerable historic and archaeological interest, architectural quality and value as a feature in the landscape.  The Board advised that it should be vested in the Churches Conservation Trust.

The Churches Conservation Trust is a statutory body, funded jointly by Church and State, set up to preserve redundant churches for which no suitable alternative use can be found but which are of such historic or architectural importance that they should be preserved ‘in the interests of the nation and the Church of England’. The Trust is the leading charity conserving the best of England’s most beautiful and historic disused churches.

Under the provisions of the Pastoral Measure 1983, notice of a draft redundancy scheme must be published locally, and anyone may make representations for or against the draft scheme during the notice period.