In a bid to preserve cultural history, the Church of England is backing a significant conservation initiative focused on thousands of ‘table top’ tombs, especially prevalent in the Diocese of Gloucester. These tombs, known for their distinctive flat stone slabs supported by upright legs, are elegant relics of the 17th to 19th centuries.
With over 4,000 such tombs in the Diocese of Gloucester alone, their prevalence is attributed to the region’s rich supply of high-quality limestone. This initiative, supported by the Church of England’s Cathedral and Church Buildings team and the National Lottery Heritage Fund, seeks to assess and propose national guidelines for the maintenance of these historical structures.
While Gloucester remains the focal point, the project extends to other areas, including St James the Great in Fulbrook within the Diocese of Oxford. The conservation effort is spearheaded by Adam Klups, Care of Churches and Diocesan Advisory Committee Team Leader at the Diocese of Gloucester, who emphasized the financial challenges faced by Parochial Church Councils in preserving these tombs. He stated, “Parochial Church Councils and other stakeholders responsible for the maintenance of our churchyards often struggle to find the resources to support the conservation of these tombs although they form a key part of our social history and are works of art in themselves.”
The project not only highlights the tombs’ conservation needs but also aims to raise awareness and train future conservators. Conservation students will benefit from practical fieldwork opportunities, as noted by Tracy Manning, Senior Conservation Officer for the Cathedral and Church Buildings Department of the Church of England. She remarked, “It can be difficult for students to access hands-on fieldwork experience, and one of the most exciting things for us about the project is that it has enabled conservation students to learn from an expert practitioner, Graham O’Hare, about these unique objects that were made for, and belong in, a rural parish church setting.”
The initiative seeks to inspire a new generation in the field of conservation, with the support of the National Lottery Heritage Fund playing a crucial role in bringing this project to life.
This article was originally written by www.christiantoday.com
