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A redundant church is a church building that is no longer required for regular public worship. This may be due to population movements, changing social patterns, or other factors. In England, the term was particularly used by the Church of England which had a Redundant Churches Division. In 2008, the Church changed the terminology surrounding church closure and as such redundancy is now known as closure for regular public worship. The Redundant Churches Division became the Closed Churches Division.
Currently around thirty Church of England churches are declared closed for regular public worship each year[1]. The buildings are only demolished as a last resort. The aim of the closure process is to find new uses for them. Responsibility for doing this rests with the diocese. Some closed churches remain consecrated in occasional use by the Church of England. Some are purchased by other denominations or faiths for regular use.
Closed churches can have a variety of uses as these examples illustrate:
- All Saints' Church, Bristol used as a Diocesan Education Centre.
- All Saints Church, Harthill used as a community centre.
- Holy Trinity Church, Chester now serving as the Guildhall.
- St Ann's Church, Warrington is an indoor climbing centre (one of several churches used in this way).
- St Michael's Church, Chester now used as a heritage centre.
- St Ninian's, Brougham managed by the Churches Conservation Trust but very rarely used for worship due to its remote location.
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References
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