Top people nominate their favourite churches

St Edmunds College Chapel

As part of its 60th anniversary celebrations, the National Churches Trust has revealed some of ‘The UK’s Favourite Churches’, as chosen by 60 top people from the world of religion, politics, entertainment, journalism and academia.

Members of the public are also invited to send in the name of their favourite churches. Anyone nominating a church and members of that church’s congregation will have a chance to attend a service celebrating the work of the National Churches Trust, to be held at Westminster Abbey on Thursday 28 November 2013.

Each person has different reasons for choosing their favourite, but for most, the deciding factor is usually a personal association. Politicians including David Cameron, Ed Miliband, Nick Clegg, Boris Johnson, Alex Salmond and Nigel Farage all put forward their choices.

Michael Palin CBE FRGS nominated St Margaret of Antioch Church, Abbotsley, in Cambridgeshire. He said: “I was married there, and others have been married, christened and buried there since the 13th century.”

Actor Sir Patrick Stewart OBE said his favourite is Holy Trinity Church, Old Town, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire. “Other than my boyhood Church - Mirfield Parish - it is the Church in which I have spent most time and because the remains of William Shakespeare lie in front of the altar. The building and William Shakespeare gave me comfort, calm and inspiration.”

The Most Rev Vincent Nichols, Archbishop of Westminster chose St Edmund's College Chapel, Old Hall Green, Ware, Hertfordshire. He said: “The chapel is beautiful, with that unique and profoundly spiritual beauty so characteristic of the work of its architect, Augustus Welby Pugin. It was consecrated by Cardinal Wiseman in 1853 and has witnessed many an ordination and important ecclesiastic gathering. To enter the chapel today is to catch something of this great and continuing tradition.”

Other Catholics who took part include: Broadcaster Eamonn Holmes, who said his favourite is St Patrick's RC Church in Donegall Street, Belfast.   “This is the Parish Church of my family and extended family. I was baptised here in 1959, and my father's funeral service was from here - as will mine be.”

Cherie Blair CBE QC chose St Peter and St Paul RC Church, in Crosby, Liverpool: “It’s the church that I went to as a teenager and where both my grandparents and Pat Phoenix are buried.”
 
TV presenter and hotelier Alex Polizzi named Farm Street Catholic Church in London because, “It's where I spent every Sunday of my childhood with three generations of my family.

Speaking at the launch of ‘The UK’s Favourite Churches’ at St Bride’s Church, London EC4 on Tuesday 16 July, Claire Walker, Chief Executive of the National Churches Trust, said: “The UK’s 47,000 churches, chapels and meeting houses are a tremendous asset to the nation. Together, they form an unparalleled network of public buildings which sustain local communities.”

"The UK’s Favourite Churches is a celebration of some of our most loved and interesting places of worship. Over the summer holidays, I hope more people will discover the joys of visiting churches and seek out some of the churches chosen. There is plenty to see and much history to be discovered.”

“When people do visit a church, I hope they will bear in mind that keeping churches, chapels and meeting houses looking beautiful, and able to cope with the demands of the 21st century, costs money. Replacing a leaking roof, fixing a leaning spire or repairing precious medieval stonework can cost many hundreds of thousands of pounds - which is much more than most church congregations can afford.”

“Since 1953, the National Churches Trust has played its part in helping to keep churches open throughout the UK. We have provided over 12,000 grants and loans, £85 million worth of funding at today’s prices, to help pay for urgent repairs to places of worship of all the major Christian denominations. Partly as a result, today many of the UK’s churches are in a far better condition than they were 60 years ago.”

“Over the next 60 years, churches will continue to need help from the National Churches Trust and other funders. As we look to the future, we will remain grateful to our donors and Friends for their generosity which allows us to keep more churches in good repair for worship, of benefit to local people and open to visitors wanting to discover their fascinating art, architecture and history.”

For more information about the National Churches Trust see: http://nationalchurchestrust.org/home.php

Full details of ‘The UK’s Favourite Churches’, or to nominate your own choice, see www.favouritechurches.org.uk