Is the diocese "turning its back" on four historic city churches?
The Leicester Citizen, journal of the Leicester Civic Society, is always an interesting read and its thought-provoking articles are never afraid to broach difficult subjects.
In his chairman's page, Stuart Bailey states the visit to Leicester by the Queen at the start of her Diamond Jubilee celebrations was "a highlight of recent months".
He observes the Queen visited Leicester Cathedral for the first time and that "from her reaction (she) was suitably impressed by this beautiful building and its setting".
Mr Bailey then goes on to say that our cathedral, "while not one of the great historic cathedrals with monastic origins and world heritage status… can claim an intimate connection with the ancient city".
He says: "When you enter the cathedral closes at Exeter, Lichfield or Wells, you are instantly in a world apart. In Leicester, however, the cathedral has always felt to be an integral part of our city."
Mr Bailey states that the society is working with the cathedral authorities over the proposed Cathedral Gardens that will, it is hoped, "create a truly attractive open space and undo the damage inflicted by the poor 1980s design, which itself replaced the churchyard".
This is all very positive and encouraging. However, Mr Bailey adds a sobering paragraph: "Of course, it's not all sweetness and light.
"In being welcomed at our cathedral, the Queen would have been unaware of the Diocese of Leicester's heritage at risk, in the form of no fewer than four historic churches, all listed buildings, three Victorian and one early Medieval – St Saviour's, St Paul's, St Barnabas and the 12th century St Peter's Belgrave – now closed for worship."
Elsewhere in the journal we read: "One church building at risk is one too many, but Leicester now has four.
"Their plight is the result of the Diocese of Leicester deliberately turning its back on its own built heritage."
So how does the diocese answer this?
"In no sense has the diocese 'walked away' from these beautiful buildings," says a diocese spokesman.
"It is always a matter of sadness when a church building is no longer able to be used for its original purpose, because these places have always played a very important part in the life of the community and carry vital memories for many.
"This sense of loss is heightened when the building also has significant architectural or historical features.
"The diocese, which has responsibility for seeking alternative uses for closed Church of England buildings, works very hard to safeguard this heritage, even though it is often very difficult to find a suitable new use.
"Meanwhile, we do all we can to protect and maintain these empty buildings against the ravages of time, the weather and, increasingly, thieves and vandals.
"At the same time, we face the challenge of resourcing the churches which remain open.
"We welcome such practical and financial support as is available from other agencies, but the majority of the money has to come from the Church's own resources. We never shirk our responsibilities."
Church prepares for final service
A church is to close its doors for the final time next week.
St Barnabas', in North Evington, Leicester, is the latest of several city churches to be shut in the past few years due to dwindling congregation numbers.
Services will continue to be held at St Barnabas' Primary School next door once the building is officially closed.
A final eucharist will take place on Sunday, followed by a transitional service – which will see pupils taking part in a procession from the church to the school – on Wednesday.
Minister Derek Brown said he was expecting up to 70 people to attend on Sunday.
He said: "The church building is closing, but the people of God continue. The church is the people, not the building.
"I would just like to thank all the people who have been very supportive during a difficult time. The school has been very helpful and the congregation has been wonderfully supportive."
Father Brown said while it was sad to see the building close, it marked a new beginning for the members.
"This is a new chapter. We'll keep going and hopefully get a few more people along the way."
The first service at the school will be held next Sunday, July 10.
The grade II listed church has not been put up for sale, but options for the building will be discussed after it is officially shut next week.
The closure follows that of St Peter's, in Belgrave, and St Gabriel's, in Rushey Mead, at the beginning of 2010. Both buildings are now up for sale.
When churches are closed, some are sold on to become businesses or flats, others are used by different religions and some are adopted by the Churches Conservation Trust.
Others, such as St Christopher's, in the Saffron Lane area of Leicester, are demolished.
St Barnabas' fate was decided in October last year.
The building, which has space for about 200 worshippers, saw numbers fall to as low as 20.
The Church Commissioners for England decided the building was "too large and expensive to maintain for the small congregation".
David Gillman, of Clarendon Park, who specialises in pastoral reorganisation, was the only person who objected to the proposal to close the church when it was made last summer.
"I firmly believe, in my opinion, that the visible presence of a church in use in the community is priceless," said Mr Gillman.
"I think that sometimes there is too much insensitivity shown to the commitment of faithful worshippers."
Charting the decline of Christianity
While on the one hand I applaud the magnificent and biggest Hindu Temple in the Midlands, on the other, I wonder if the people of Leicester notice the demise of Christianity in our city.
This is not, repeat not, a racist view as many of my friends are Leicester Asians, but a statement of fact.
I was born and bred in Leicester and brought up in a Church of England School, Saint Barnabas, whose church is soon to be sold. I was married at St Alban's Church, in Weymouth Street, thankfully saved at the moment, but whose sister churches, St Gabriel's and St Peter's, Belgrave, full of history, are up for sale.
Add St Saviour's Church and that makes four churches up for sale, which I feel is only the thin end of the wedge.
The writing is on the wall for Leicester obviously sooner than later. Maybe even now we have more temples and mosques than churches and we Christians will be the minority.
After living here all my life, I now feel a total foreigner in my own city and am considering moving out!
G L Astill, Leicester
"Creative" buyer wanted for 12th century church
A medieval church which has stood empty for more than six months has been put up for sale.
Grade II-listed St Peter's, in Belgrave, Leicester, went on the market this week.
The church was shut in November last year, despite fierce opposition from worshippers and Leicester Civic Society.
It has since been targeted by thieves and vandals who have stolen lead from the roof and decapitated the statue of St Peter that stands in the doorway.
Leicester estate agent Andrew Granger & Co has set a guide price of £150,000.
Surveyor Elizabeth Watson said: "It is a very lovely church. It needs protecting and that's just how it is with buildings like this.
"We are inviting interested people to get in touch and we are happy to give them advice on whether their ideas for development are suitable.
"It could be a library for instance. It could be a nursery, but while the building is in good repair, it would need some work for this use.
"Basically, a person with some good creative ideas would be ideal."
The church was built in the 12th century, but many additions have been made to it over the years, including Edwardian choir stalls and a Victorian vestry.
The earliest slate headstones in the churchyard are dated 1689 and there are a number of memorials to the First World War and the Boer War inside the building.
Its historic and architectural significance mean strict guidelines on development are in place.
The church is being sold on the instructions of the Church Commissioners for England and Leicester Diocesan Board of Finance, who are also in the process of selling St Saviours, Highfields, and St Gabriel's, Rushey Mead.
A document released by the Church of England to give advice to potential developers said: "Many suitable new uses have been found for closed churches, including places of worship for other Christian bodies, civic, cultural or community use, arts and crafts or music or drama centres."
Liz Hudson-Oliff, of the diocese of Leicester, said they hoped for a quick sale.
She said: "One does not like to see such a building lie empty for any length of time, because it is then that you get problems with vandalism and the like.
"We would hope for a quick sale and for it to be turned into something appropriate.
"The church was put on the market because there were too many churches in the area for the amount of people using them."
Leicester Civic Society has welcomed the announcement that the building is on the market.
Chairman Stuart Bailey said: "That was very quick indeed and I am delighted. However, as I said back before it shut, it will be very difficult to use this building for anything other than a church, because of its listed status.
"I fear that a suitable buyer will not be found, but would love to see it brought back into use in a suitable way."
Tragedy of St Saviour's
The plight of Leicester's redundant churches is an ever-increasing problem.
What is going to happen to St Peter's Belgrave, St Gabriel's and St Barnabas? Will they stand dejected and rotting like the once magnificent edifices of St Paul's and St Saviour's, or even end up like the burnt-out shell of St Augustine's?
There is a serious problem here and it needs to be addressed, as is made all too clear in an article by Karen Green in the November edition of the Leicester Citizen, journal of the Leicester Civic Society.
It is entitled "The Threat to St Saviour's" – now a heartrending sight of neglect and dereliction, but was once the pride of the area. Here is just part of what she has to say:
"From christenings to funerals, the generations who lived in the densely populated area had their own personal attachment to St Saviour's and many stories to tell. I recently received contact from a lady who informed me about one of the windows located in the Memorial Chapel. Here great grandparents lost their son in France during the Great War; they worshipped at St Saviour's and paid for the window to be installed. Depicted is the image of an angel with vibrant halo and robes, the angel's face is the actual face of the fallen soldier.
"All very poignant and one example of how St Saviour's provides a tangible link to the social history of our city.
"Sadly in 2005, St Saviour's closed its doors as a functioning church and has subsequently been declared redundant. In 2010 it presents a sorry sight sitting in unkempt grounds where discarded waste and overgrown flora are the norm.
"The impression that no one cares has been seen as a green light for drug users, drinkers and vandals, and the result of their unwanted attention is devastating. The window I mentioned is half-gone, having been used as a means of entrance, what is left is peppered with holes. The once beautifully ornate pulpit is obliterated and several small fires have been started which fortunately didn't take firm hold.
"It is heartbreaking to witness such a precious building awaiting a dreadful fate."
St Saviour's if of architectural significance — not just because of its size, but the fact that it was the last project of one of the greatest of all Victorian architects, Sir George Gilbert Scott – whose designs include the frontage of the magnificently restored St Pancras Station and the Albert Memorial.
In her last paragraph Karen Green writes: "There have been too many historic buildings and monuments lost in Leicester in recent years through ignorance, apathy and wanton destruction and enough is enough! We must do all in our power to ensure that buildings such as St Saviour's are brought into use for future generations. It's time to insist that the privileged guardians of Leicester's heritage do all they can to adequately protect what is – when all is said and done – our true and rightful inheritance."
To join the Leicester Civic Society call 01509 520 904.
This week it was announced that St Saviour's was to be sold.
Churches close
Two city churches were set to close their doors for the last time today.
St Peter's Church, off Thurcaston Road, Belgrave, and St Gabriel's, in Kerrysdale Avenue, off Gipsy Lane, were set to close today.
The two churches form the Parish of the Resurrection, which also includes St Alban's, in Weymouth Street.
A decision to shut both St Peter's and St Gabriel's was taken by the Church of England because of dwindling congregations and costly heating and repair bills.
Two churches to close in Leicester this month over costs
Two churches will close this month because the diocese can no longer afford to keep them open.
St Peter's, off Thurcaston Road, Belgrave, Leicester, and the nearby St Gabriel's, in Kerrysdale Avenue, will hold their final services on Sunday, June 27.
A day later, both buildings will be officially shut.
The decision was taken after a long consultation about their future and an unsuccessful campaign to save the 11th century St Peter's.
From next month, St Alban's, in Weymouth Street, will be the only church serving Belgrave.
Father Tony Coslett, team rector for the parish, said: "This is not about failure. It is not about retreat. It is about re-grouping. When a church closes it is remarkably sad. I am gutted.
"St Alban's will now become a powerhouse of the parish.
"We look forward to serving the community from this church.
"The Church of England is still committed to this area. We will still have a lot going on."
He said the closures were not solely for financial reasons.
However, the parish has faced a drop in numbers at services, dwindling collections and escalating bills, meaning it could only afford to keep one church open.
The parish chose St Alban's because it said it had better facilities and was cheaper to run.
A public consultation prompted 135 letters of protest at the plans, most concerning the closure of St Peter's. Despite that, in February, the Church of England upheld the parish's proposals to decommission the buildings.
Church Commissioners said the parish only needed one building. Ian Bewley-Parker, 71, who worshipped at St Peter's for most of his life and used to be churchwarden, said the decision to close the churches was "stupid".
Janet Lucas, who lives near the church, said: "They have shot themselves in the foot.
"I do not think they are going to get the people in St Alban's."
She said she hoped the churches would have a public open day before their doors were bolted, for the benefit of the community as well as the congregations.
St Peter's is a grade II-listed building with a history dating back to 1082.
St Gabriel's was built in the mid-1960s.
It has not been decided what will happen to the buildings after they close.
A spokesman for the Diocese of Leicester said following the closures on June 28 the management of the churches would be handed from the parochial church council to the diocese's board of finance.
He said: "There will be a series of meetings and discussions between interested parties about the future of the buildings.
"These could include talks between people including the city council and English Heritage. It will be an ongoing process."
The final services on June 27 will get under way at St Peter's at 3pm and at St Gabriel's at 6.30pm.
Centuries of history will end with Leicester church's closure
Nearly 1,000 years of history is to end with the closure of an 11th century church.
Within weeks, the doors of St Peter's Church, in Belgrave, will be bolted shut.
Nearby St Gabriel's Church, on Kerrysdale Avenue, will also close after the Church of England upheld the proposal to decommission the buildings.
Worshippers yesterday said they felt devastated.
A public consultation prompted 135 letters of protest at the plans, most concerning the closure of St Peter's.
At a meeting on Monday at the Church of England's London headquarters, the Diocese of Leicester was given permission to go ahead with the closures.
A spokesman for the Church Commissioners, responsible for church assets, said they "concluded that the parish only needs one church building".
St Alban's Church will be the only church serving Belgrave.
Ian Bewley-Parker, 71, has worshipped at St Peter's Church for most of his life. He used to be church warden.
"I'm devastated," he said.
"I couldn't say right now whether I will go to St Alban's once St Peter's closes."
St Peter's Church is a Grade II listed building that has been traced back to 1082.
Stuart Bailey, chairman of Leicester Civic Society, said the closure was "extremely short-sighted and destructive".
The Diocese of Leicester said it could not afford to keep three churches open in Belgrave.
If there is no appeal, the churches will be closed after Easter.
Did you worship at St Peter's? Did your parents get married there – or did you? We'd love to hear your stories of the church and if you have pictures then we would like to see them. Contact Simon Ward on 0116 222 4262 or: sward@leicestermercury.co.uk
