1953: where we began – the Historic Churches Preservation Trust
By the middle of the 20th century, many parish churches in the UK were in a poor state of repair. This was the result of many social and economic factors, and made so much worse by the Second World War, during which repair and maintenance of churches came largely to a stop.
The Church Assembly, now the General Synod, set up a Commission to investigate what was necessary to reverse this situation, and found that £4,000,000 was needed to restore the condition of churches across the UK to good condition.
The Historic Churches Preservation Trust was established in 1953 and acted primarily as a grant giving trust, providing vital funds for repairs to historic churches. From the outset, the Historic Churches Preservation Trust supported churches of all the major Christian denominations, as well as chapels and meeting houses.
In 2013, we celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust with a special service at Westminster Abbey.
1983: integrating the Incorporated Church Building Society
The Incorporated Church Building Society was founded in 1818. Its purpose was to “remedy the deficiencies of places set aside for Public Worship in our towns and cities”.
Unlike the National Churches Trust and the Historic Churches Preservation Trust the Incorporated Church Building Society only served Anglican churches. By 1845 the Society was assisting with the building of over 50 churches a year.
However, by the 20th century the society was less active and in 1983 the Historic Churches Preservation Trust assumed responsibility for the Society’s affairs.
2007: becoming the National Churches Trust
The National Churches Trust was created in 2007 to carry on the work of the Historic Churches Preservation Trust (HCPT), which was set up in 1953.
Our mission is to keep the UK’s wonderful collection of church buildings well maintained, valued and in use. Working on the ground in all four nations, we support churches of all denominations. Our vision is to see open churches thriving at the heart of their communities.
Since 2007, we have been able to support more than 2000 churches, chapels and meeting houses to stay open and serving local people.
We are delighted to have built of a community of Friends over this time who, through a membership scheme, support the repair and conservation of these important building. You can find out more about becoming a Friend of the National Churches Trust here. We would love to welcome you and show you how your support can make a difference to the UK's churches today.
