BCD SPECIAL REPORT ON
HISTORIC CHURCHES
21ST ANNUAL EDITION
13
100 CHURCH TREASURES
and The Altar of Sacrifice,
Tostock Parish Church
Catherine Townsend and Pedro Gaspar
T
HE CHURCH
of England’s 16,000
parish churches are among Europe’s
finest historic buildings and house an
unparalleled array of treasures, rivalling the
collections of the world’s great museums and
attracting millions of visitors each year.
Preserving these historic churches (45 per
cent of England’s Grade I listed buildings in
England are churches) and their treasures
poses many challenges. With 16,000 churches,
the size of the church’s collections is vast, and
includes monuments, wall paintings, stained
glass, textiles, medieval timberwork, and many
other types of objects. Part of the challenge
is that these treasures are the responsibility –
financial and otherwise – of parochial church
councils whose members are volunteers and
have other pressing needs to deal with, all of
which rely on fundraising. £115 million is spent
on the repair of church buildings every year.
The conservation of artworks costs parishes
an estimated additional £3 million each year.
medieval stone figures at St Paul’s, Bedford,
while the repair of stained glass by pre-
Raphaelite artist Edward Burne-Jones
is nearing completion at St Margaret’s
church, Ward End near Birmingham.
The 100 artworks included in the campaign
are from parishes around England and illustrate
centuries of artistic engagement with these
historical buildings. One of these unique
treasures is The Altar of Sacrifice at Tostock
parish church, St Andrew’s, in Suffolk.
TOSTOCK PARISH CHURCH
Tostock is a traditional Suffolk village eight
miles east of Bury St Edmunds. St Andrew’s is
a largely 14th-century church constructed of
knapped flint with limestone dressings, arranged
in a chequer pattern, with slate and tile roofs.
It is the parish’s only Grade I listed building.
Although the Domesday survey of 1086
records a place of worship in Tostock, the
earliest components of today’s church date from
In 2013 the Church Buildings Council,
a statutory body of the Church of England,
launched a new campaign, 100 Church
Treasures, to address the conservation
needs of collections in parish churches.
With the help of the dioceses of the Church
of England, the Church Buildings Council
identified 100 artworks currently most at
risk in parish churches. These treasures are
at risk of permanent damage and loss. The
aim of the campaign is to raise funds totalling
£3 million, the estimated cost of repair, and
to provide financial and expert conservation
support. Together this will help parishes
guarantee the safe display of the 100 artworks
in situ and ensure their accessibility to all.
Six months after its launch in October
2013, £179,000 has already been raised
through donations and pledges. As a
direct result 12 conservation reports have
been commissioned and nine projects are
under way including the conservation of
A medieval screen at St Matthew’s church in Ipswich, Suffolk from the cover of
100 Church Treasures
. The campaign aims to address key threats and inspire appreciation
and celebration of the nation’s ecclesiastical fine and decorative arts. The Church Buildings Council is seeking donors who can sponsor the conservation of a treasure or
contribute £5,000, £10,000 or £20,000 towards the campaign.
