THE FRIENDS OF
WILTSHIRE CHURCHES
The Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust was founded in 1954 and in the last ten years has assisted nearly 200 churches and chapels with grants of £345,000 for fabric repairs and structural maintenance. It is a non-denominational body and is able to fund non-conformist chapels and Roman Catholic churches as well as Anglican churches.
It liaises with the National Churches Trust and other grant - making bodies. Its grants have not historically been large but have provided important encouragement to local congregations working hard to maintain their ecclesiastical heritages. The income of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust to date has in the main derived from the annual September sponsored bike ride and walk (the “Ride And Stride”), and to a lesser extent from legacies.
Wiltshire has an extremely rich ecclesiastical heritage of more than 500 buildings. It runs for example from the sophisticated Norman work of St John Devizes and Malmesbury Abbey to the later mediaeval glories of Edington and Steeple Ashton; from the 17th century fittings and St John monuments at Lydiard Tregoze to the splendour of All Saints Wardour, which was built by Paine and Soane for the Roman Catholic Arundells; from the early 19th century Jane Austen Gothick woodwork of Mildenhall to Wyatt & Brandon's great Lombardic church at Wilton built for the Herberts, Earls of Pembroke.
In 2008 it was decided to
set up the Friends of Wiltshire Churches to raise awareness of the rich heritage of churches and chapels in the county and to seek additional funds for the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust whose income from the annual “Ride and Stride” has now reached a plateau and may in future decline. At the same time the cost of maintenance of ecclesiastical buildings is becoming increasingly more expensive while the resources of bodies such as English Heritage are being squeezed.
You can support this important work by becoming
a Friend of Wiltshire Churches.
By doing this you will :
- Support the endeavours of the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust.
- Help ensure the future of Wiltshire's historic churches and chapels.
- Share in the conservation of the ecclesiastical heritage of the county.
As a Friend of Wiltshire Churches you will receive:
- a detailed gazetteer of churches and chapels in Wiltshire.
- mailings about Friends' events including lectures and excursions.
- the Wiltshire Historic Churches Trust annual report and newsletter.
To join, please complete the membership application and banker’s order and if you are a tax payer the gift aid certificate.
Please join us and help save Wiltshire’s historic churches
St Mary’s, Purton
is one of only three churches in the country to have both a tower and spire.
