Past and Future Values: The Architectural Legacy of Metropolitan Religion

Abstract

In spite of the increasing secularisation of the world around them, religious buildings in Britain are difficult to ignore. Often the most architecturally important buildings in their communities, concern for the use and development of churches and chapels is by no means confined to regular worshippers. In rural areas, declining populations and reduced congregations have led to radical reorganisations of parochial ministry which have been characterised less by closure of churches than by the creation of multiple benefices: here as many as four or five parishes, each of which once had their own priest, may be served by a single incumbent. In the urban context the problems have been rather different. The large number of church buildings is less easy to justify geographically and attempts at urban rationalisation have involved closure, change of use, and demolition more often than in the countryside. In both contexts these developments have provoked fierce local debate, so that those who find themselves at the sharp end of such controversies are often surprised by how hard people will fight for the right to have a church to stay away from! The tendency over the last decade to regard 'heritage' as a packaged commodity in which there is no room for future development, coupled with a growing dissatisfaction with the modernist architectural styles of the post-war years, has considerably added to the burden of those responsible for buildings which are too large or costly for present needs but which are also too architecturally important, or have too many 'historical associations' to be consigned to the bulldozer. Deliberations about the future use of some of London's most important churches are now under way, and two recent publications reveal that concern about the architectural legacy of religious observance in the capital is by no means confined to the established church nor, indeed, to Christian denominations. Jewish monuments have not sofar figured prominently in general debates on conservation, and 'saving' campaigns directed at specific Jewish buildings have been rare. For most non-Jews, knowledge of the types of buildings and artefacts which constitute the 'Jewish heritage' is very limited, and within the Jewish community itself appreciation of the artistic value and historical significance of buildings, furnishing and records has not been widespread. In the last two or three years, however, attempts have been made to increase awareness of the riches which survive, and to encourage a systematic policy of recording and (when appropriate) preservation. In July 1990 a conference on the theme 'Preserving the Jewish heritage' was held at Southampton University, and was the first nationwide attempt to co-ordinate action on Jewish heritage conservation in Britain. Later the same year a symposium organised in New York by the Jewish Heritage Council of the World Monuments Fund addressed similar themes from an international perspective. Both events were influential in deciding the shape and content of a conference devoted to Jewish monuments in the British Isles organised by Dr Sharman Kadish in association with the Centre for Metropolitan History and held at the Yakar educational foundation in Hendon in October 1991. About 100 Jewish and non-Jewish delegates heard sixteen wide-ranging papers dealing with the history, preservation and future use of Jewish sites and buildings. Abstracts of the papers have now been made available, and provide a useful introduction to a subject which does not usually figure prominently in discussions on the preservation and destruction of historic monuments in London and other urban centres. 1 The papers fall into three groups, considering in turn London, the regions and 'Jewish heritage conservation and the wider community'. They are introduced by a summary of Dr Kadish's opening address which outlines some of the problems facing campaigners for Jewish monuments and recom-