BCD Special Report on
Historic Churches
19
th annual edition
17
The Church History Project
Southwell and Nottingham Diocese
This ambitious project brings research, education and tourism together, aiming to bring the
history and heritage of Southwell and Nottingham’s buildings to life. It’s nationally unique in
uniting these three strands under the umbrella of the Diocese’s ‘Church History Project’.
Originating as a diocesan research project in the mid 1990s, ‘Church History’ went on to
develop partnerships with others including the University of Nottingham. The educational arm
of the project, formed in 2009, is relatively new. It has built on the evaluation and findings of an
earlier project called ‘Schools in Local Churches’.
A substantial Heritage Lottery Fund grant allowed this work to continue and the education
element to expand and develop. The primary objectives were to:
•
develop educational material for churches to use with a wide variety of ages and groups,
particularly schools
•
support churches to work with primary and secondary schools and voluntary groups.
A prototype resource pack, trialled at a number of local churches, was refined and rewritten by
the project steering group, made up of members of the Diocesan Education Department and
experienced teachers. The finished material currently covers Key Stages 1 and 2 (primary school),
although more advanced secondary school resources and a DVD are in the pipeline.
The resource pack, which is available to download online free of charge, includes subjects
ranging from ‘the church in the community’ and ‘the architecture of the building’ to ‘the history
of worship’ and ‘clues to the past in a graveyard’, and topic sheets like:
•
An Introduction to the Church
•
Fonts and Baptism
•
At the Altar
•
The Bible in Church Art
•
Clues to the Past in a Graveyard
•
Worship Traditions
•
Reading the Symbols in a Church
•
Vestments and Colours in Church
•
Church Architecture
•
The Name of the Church.
While the churches referred to in the pack are specific to Nottingham and Southwell, most of the
material can readily be adapted to suit churches, and schools, outside the diocese.
The project promotes churches as fascinating buildings at the heart of communities, with
much to teach us about history, customs, traditions, lifestyles and beliefs. It encourages members
of the congregation to welcome school groups into the church and gives them the tools and
confidence to interpret the building and tell its story.
enter and move around. It is important that
the children feel at home in the cathedral
and understand some of the history and
heritage rather than try to overload them
with information. We encourage them to
come back with their family and friends
during the school holidays to explore more.
The power of such visits is obvious: they bring
the past to life. The stones of the building speak
to visitors in many ways, while gravestones,
paintings, stained glass, sculpture, memorials
and monuments add further layers of interest.
What’s more, our churches tell us about the
lives of those who lived in and around the
building. Emma Griffiths, the education
team leader at Coventry Cathedral, agrees:
They are not just lists of people or kings and
queens who were born and died, they are
physical examples that have clues about the
ordinary (and sometimes extraordinary)
lives of people who have lived and died
connected to the building: workers, cleaners,
worshippers, brides, babies have all
touched the same walls we touch today.
Young people learn that these buildings
are deeply interesting but, perhaps more
importantly, open and welcoming, places
that they can return to. This ‘offer’ is at the
heart of church buildings education.
Exploring, investigating and understanding
the church’s past encourages visitors to care
about its future. They return to these places.
Some even bring back other friends and family,
casting the net of care and understanding
even further and creating a network of
church building advocates and supporters.
Of course, as well as the honourable aims
of educating and informing, visits to churches
and cathedrals offer things which are harder
to measure and evaluate. As a recent teacher
and visitor to Coventry Cathedral noted, ‘for
our kids, from a so-called “sink estate”, this
was a chance for them to show their best in
an environment where they could lift their
horizons. I think we used to call that Education’.
Further Information
Please see
for more
information on extending and adapting the
use of your church for educational or other
purposes.
Council for Learning Outside the Classroom
DivineInspiration
Engaging Places
English Cathedrals
Heritage Schools
about/news/heritage-schools
Open City
Southwell and Nottingham Church History
Ben Greener
is the historic churches officer
at the Cathedral and Church Buildings Division
of the Church of England. He is responsible for
increasing access to and extending the use of
historic church buildings. He has worked on
a variety of heritage education projects.
‘
Church detectives’ at St John the Baptist, Berkswell, West Midlands (Photo: CABE/Alys Tomlinson)
cathedral, with school trips to Westminster
Abbey accounting for a further 11,770 visits.
A further 9,720 children are educated at
cathedral schools and regularly engage with
the heritage of these magnificent structures.
Cathedrals, with their experience of
receiving large numbers of visitors, understand
the importance of interpreting their buildings.
Most have education officers and guides
trained to engage with young people. Many
also produce specific learning resources
linking the rich history of the cathedral to
the subjects studied in schools today.
Members of the education team at
Durham Cathedral are aware of what an
important building they have on their hands.
The cathedral’s website notes that, on entering,
most children’s first response is simply ‘Wow!’
But how do you fit almost 1,000 years of
history into what might only be a one or two
hour visit? Making the children feel welcome
and engendering a sense of ownership is
key, according to Sarah O’Donoghue, the
education officer at Liverpool Cathedral:
We endeavour to let the children experience
the awe and wonder of the building as they
