General Repository

This page holds copies of documents and reports, some of which might otherwise be hard to find. Some are current, but many are out of date but can still  provide important background or are of historical interest. They are organised as sensibly as possible, but you may need to browse to find what you are looking for. Copyright resides with the original copyright holder, normally the institution that published the document.

We are aware of gaps. Please let us know of other material we could usefully put on this page, especially if you can provide a copy!

International

Across UK (at least two home countries)

Church and State

General, including VAT

Examples of application forms for grants (various)

England only (for Scotland only and Wales only, scroll down)

Assessment of impacts of grant schemes and other specific interventions, including VAT (date order)

History of grant schemes

History and background of Government funding of major repair costs (see pages 35 to 40)

Descriptions/categorisation of places of worship by Historic England

Asssessment/support of social impact, social capital etc from churches (date order)

Toolkits / advice for community engagement / building projects etc

Inspired campaign (English Heritage, 2005)

Leveraging buildings

Tourism / church visitors

Local reports on keeping church buildings etc (date order)

National Reports etc on keeping church buildings and related topics, (date order)

Other reports (date order)

Friends Groups

Use of churches for secular purposes

Bats in churches (date order)

Involvement of faith groups in neighbourhood renewal and regeneration

Government and faith group co-operation

Historic England / English Heritage policy and guidance (date order)

Some of these policy and guidance documents are current, some are out of date: the HE website should be consulted if current advice or guidance is being sought.

Cathedrals

Legal resources and Ecclesiastical Exemption

The Ecclesiastical Exemption in England applies to a specified set of denominations only. See the readable guidance at Ecclesiastical exemption in England and Wales: guidance (2010). The order itself is at The Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (England) Order 2010.

There was a consultation in 2005, the results of which are in Ecclesiastical Exemption: the Way Forward [England] (2005).

See here for other legal resources for the Church of England.

Scotland only

In Scotland, a report with recommendations was produced by HEACS in 2009, though the Scottish Government did not respond to the recommendations: Scotland’s ecclesiastical heritage report with recommendations.This report was supported by a Research report  and a report on Church-state relationships in selected other European countries. In 2006 the Scottish Civic Trust published New uses for former church buildings. In 2019 there was a consultation on the Church of Scotland’s Well equipped spaces in the right places document.

The Ecclesiastical Exemption in Scotland for ecclesiastical buildings used for ecclesiasatical purposes derives from Section 54 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997. A number of denominations have signed up to a voluntary Scheme to Apply Listed Building Control to Exteriors of Churches in Ecclesiastical Use.

Wales only

In 2012 there was a Church in Wales: Review which will have a long term impact on church buildings. In 2013 the Welsh government produced the Wales faith tourism action plan. In 2014 a Church in Wales policy document on Pilgrim churches was published in the journal of the Ecclesiological Society (by kind permission). In 2015 Cadw published the Strategic Action Plan for Historic Places of Worship in Wales.

A report into the contribution of faith groups to civic society in Wales was published as Faith in Wales: Counting for Communities (Gweini, 2008)

The Ecclesiastical Exemption in Wales relies on a 2018 Order. It applies to specified set of denominations only. Previous history of Ecclesiastical exemption: Previously the Exemption in Wales relied on a 1994 Order which was not easy to find online, and we give here a copy archived by Unesco The Ecclesiastical Exemption (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Order 1994 . The guidance to the operation of the 1994 order is a booklet called The Ecclesiastical Exemption – What is it and How it Works  The ecclesiastical exemption arrangements in Wales were reviewed in 2004 and CADW stated that there is a need to make changes to the current Order to mirror changes already introduced in England.