TABLE-TOP tombs — tombs in which horizontal slabs are supported by sides or legs — in the diocese of Gloucester will be assessed for their conservation needs, as part of a project, announced on Monday, that will contribute to new national guidance on their care and maintenance.
Dating from the 17th to 19th centuries, there are believed to be more than 4000 of the stone monuments in Gloucester diocese alone, the high concentration being attributed to the quality of limestone available there. Thousands more examples of the tombs can be found across the country. The project, a collaboration with the C of E’s Cathedral and Church Buildings Department, with National Lottery Heritage funding, seeks to document local collections, identify conservation needs, and promote awareness of the tombs as a unique art form.
Climate change is acknowledged to be affecting their condition: wetter and warmer weather mean that staining will start to act in ways not previously known.
The Care of Churches and Advisory Committee team leader for Gloucester diocese, Adam Klups, said: “Parochial church councils and other stakeholders responsible for the maintenance of our churchyards often struggle to find the resources to continue 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 senior conservation officer at Church House, Tracy Manning, also acknowledged the difficulties. “It’s often hard for parishes to access funding for church structures until they collapse and need emergency repairs. We want to get ahead of that, basically, and start to identify where there’s need,” she said.
The scheme will provide vital fieldwork experience for students of conservation, through experience in St George’s, Cam. Eight other churchyards, including St James the Great, Fulbrook, in Oxfordshire, are also taking part. “It’s increasingly hard for young conservators to get field work experience where they’re not out of pocket,” Ms Manning said.
“They need the experience. It is really important for their future careers, and to get them interested in working in churches and the amazing objects that we have in them.”
The architectural stone conservator, Graham O’Hare, said: “Every one is unique, with its own conservation issues, and they all deserve to be preserved for the future.”
In an expanded £5-million National Lottery Heritage Fund scheme, administered by the Church of England, applications are invited for new grants to fund the conservation of special objects such as stained glass, paintings, bells, organs, and clocks in churches. Applicants are invited to contact: conservationgrants@churchofengland.org