National Churches Trust

National Churches Trust We work to keep churches open and in use. We have been helping churches for over 200 years.

The National Churches Trust is the successor to two older charities, the Historic Churches Preservation Trust, founded in 1953 and the Incorporated Church Building Society, founded in 1818.

Special UV-protective glass in this window helps preserve the ancient sculpture below it.This is the Tree of Jesse Windo...
11/10/2026

Special UV-protective glass in this window helps preserve the ancient sculpture below it.

This is the Tree of Jesse Window at Abergavenny St Mary in Monmouthshire, which depicts the ancestry of Jesus. Installed in 2016 and designed by Helen Whittaker of Barley Studio, it was inspired by the church's 15th-century oak carving of Jesse of Bethlehem, Jesus's ancestor and the father of King David. The carving itself lies beneath the window, and the glass of the window helps protect it from light.

📷 © Ioan Said

Church volunteers are making spaces for friendship and connection in churches across the UK. The finalists in our Church...
10/10/2026

Church volunteers are making spaces for friendship and connection in churches across the UK. The finalists in our Church & Community Volunteer Awards, in partnership with the Marsh Charitable Trust, are doing all kinds of amazing things to help combat loneliness in their communities.

At Kingussie Parish Church in Highlands, community cafés provide friendship, companionship and a warm welcome, while intergenerational activities bring school pupils and older residents together to share skills, conversation and mutual support. Volunteers also support school larders, provide lunches, winter clothing and shoes for pupils, run parent and toddler groups, and organise prayer meetings.

At St Oswald’s in Fulford, York, the Tuesday Café offers a safe and friendly environment for parents, babies and others seeking connection, while the Wednesday Café links residents with local organisations. Health Walks and Warm Space events extend this support, helping to reduce isolation and build community. Volunteers also run groups, events and clubs.

At Derg Parish Church in Castlederg, County Tyrone, JOY (Just Older Youth) Luncheon Club was established to tackle loneliness and isolation among older people in this rural community and now welcomes 25 to 30 attendees each week. The club provides opportunities for friendship and connection through entertainment, music, quizzes and freshly prepared three-course lunches, offering a vital social lifeline for many participants.

Union Street Baptist Church in Crewe, Cheshire, runs a Warm Hub which provides weekly refreshments, companionship, practical advice and signposting to local support services. Volunteers also support youth groups, contribute to Crewe Foodbank, take part in Crewe Heritage Week, organise a Community Carol Festival, run a guitar club, support children through collections for Sal’s Shoes and participate in town-wide litter picking.

Find out more about these and all the other finalists: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/finalists2026

📷 1 © Eppy Mackay
📷 2 © St Oswald's Parish Church
📷 4 © USBCC Crewe

This font journeyed five miles from its earlier location at St Mary's church in Horncastle, to where it can now be found...
09/10/2026

This font journeyed five miles from its earlier location at St Mary's church in Horncastle, to where it can now be found, at St Peter and St Paul's church in Belchford, Lincolnshire.

Created in the 15th century, it was taken to its new home after St Mary's church was restored in 1861.

📷 © Push Creativity

A rare enclosed communion table is the most striking feature at our , Category B Listed Howmore Church on South Uist, i...
08/10/2026

A rare enclosed communion table is the most striking feature at our , Category B Listed Howmore Church on South Uist, in the Western Isles.

Built in the 1850s by craftsmen drawn from the small Protestant community on the island, and designed by architect John McDearmid, the church is a simple rectangular building with white harled walls. Harling is a wall finish which replaces the need for paint, and which provides protection against wet weather. The white walls of the church, built on a hill and visible from the sea, have made it a useful landmark for local fishermen.

Inside, the communion table is the central feature, running right down the middle of the church. It’s painted to resemble marble, and sits inside a low wooden enclosure. Howmore is one of the only churches in Scotland that still has this style of communion table, which is connected with the tradition of communion tokens. A practice that continued into the 19th century, only those who had proven their readiness for communion would be given a token, and only those with a token would be allowed to enter the enclosure and sit at the table.

In 2019, a Cornerstone Grant from the National Churches Trust supported Howmore Church to repair external stonework and install toilets and kitchen facilities, helping ensure that this church, which is open every day, can keep serving the local community. The project also created a small exhibition area, sharing the history of the church with visitors and locals.

Find out more about the story of this beautiful church: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/howmore-church-south-uist

📷 1 © MJ Richardson (CC BY-SA 2.0)
📷 2 © itmpa (CC BY-SA 2.0)
📷 3, 4 © Barbara Carr (CC BY-SA 2.0)
📷 5 © Anne Burgess (CC BY-SA 2.0)

An artist in 1330, or thereabouts, created this remarkable wall painting of the Virgin and Child, which you can see at t...
07/10/2026

An artist in 1330, or thereabouts, created this remarkable wall painting of the Virgin and Child, which you can see at the church of St Peter ad Vincula in South Newington, Oxfordshire.

Although it's around 700 years old, the painting is amazingly well preserved. The details still visible include the folds in Mary's robe, the highly decorated background, and the two kneeling figures to the side, who are thought to be the donors who paid for this painting.



📷 © Motacilla (CC BY-SA 3.0)

Explore churches in Richmond and Petersham with our London Friends this weekend.📅Saturday 10 October | 10.30am | Startin...
06/10/2026

Explore churches in Richmond and Petersham with our London Friends this weekend.

📅Saturday 10 October | 10.30am | Starting at St Peter's Church, Petersham

This tour of three unique and beautiful churches takes in the oldest post-Reformation Catholic church in the Archdiocese of Southwark, the stunning historic parish church of Richmond and a church art historian Nikolaus Pevsner called "a church of uncommon charm". Refreshments on arrival are included, and we invite donations of £10 a head to be distributed to the churches we visit.

If you would like to join, please drop us an email at [email protected], and find out more about the London Friends on our website: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/LondonFriends

The London Friends group has been set up on a voluntary basis by National Churches Trust Chair Sir Philip Rutnam to help promote interest in historic churches in London.

📷 © Fr James Bradley (CC BY 2.0)

If you look after a church, chapel or meeting house in Northern Ireland, join us for this free online workshop to learn ...
06/10/2026

If you look after a church, chapel or meeting house in Northern Ireland, join us for this free online workshop to learn more about our grants and how to apply for them.

The session will cover what makes a good application, timescales and deadlines, how to choose the right grant for your project, and more, as well as plenty of time for your questions.

📅Wednesday 14 October, 11:00 am - 12:30 pm, online

Find out more and book your free place: https://ow.ly/TvSw50ZUQ5G

📷 © Bea Prosser Snelling

We're delighted to share the finalists for this year's Church Architecture Awards. The Church Architecture Awards, in pa...
05/10/2026

We're delighted to share the finalists for this year's Church Architecture Awards. The Church Architecture Awards, in partnership with the Ecclesiastical Architects & Surveyors Association (EASA) and part of the National Church Awards, celebrate excellence in church architecture.

The King of Prussia Award is for innovative, high quality church conservation or repair work, the Presidents' Award celebrates the best new church building, including re-ordering, extensions or alterations to existing church buildings, and the Young Architect or Surveyor of the Year celebrates up-and-coming talent.

Find out more about the finalists: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/finalists2026

📷 © Steve Lumb

Today marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, who is known for his love of animals and nature ...
03/10/2026

Today marks the 800th anniversary of the death of St Francis of Assisi, who is known for his love of animals and nature as well as founding the religious order of the Franciscans.

St Francis is celebrated in churches across the UK, including in this beautiful window at St Mary's church in Selborne, Hampshire, which commemorates the pioneering 18th-century naturalist Gilbert White. It depicts St Francis preaching to the birds.

Find out how to visit and see it for yourself: https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/church/selborne-st-mary

📷 © Michael Garlick (CC BY-SA 2.0)

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