TWOancient parish churches are attempting to raise funds by selling historic relics they own. News broke earlier this year of the sale at auction in London of an early 16th-century helmetwhich once hung in the church atWootton St Lawrence, Hampshire. The helmet had adorned the 1677 tomb of Sir ThomasHooke, butwas loaned to the Royal Armouries collection in the 1970s for safekeeping. It formed part of theArmouries collection in Leeds. The helmet sold lastDecember for £54,000 to a private collectorwho resides outside theUK. Cornerstone has now learned that the sale of a
second ancient helmet has been pursued by another Hampshire church, not far fromthat at Wootton, and that the potential loss of both artefacts is being strongly opposed by the Church of England body responsible for its places of worship, the Church Buildings Council. It is understood that St Leonard’s church at
Sherfield-on-Loddon is seeking to sell a helmet which has, like theWootton St Lawrence helmet, long resided in the care of the RoyalArmouries. The Sherfield helmetwasmade c1510 in northern Europe. The issue ofWootton’s helmet is currently before the Reviewing Committee on the Export of Works ofArt andObjects of Cultural Interest, the bodywhich assesseswhether to grant an export licence. It reports to the Secretary of State for Culture. RoyalArmouries hadwished to buy it. The possible loss of the antique helmets to a private collector, based abroad, would be seen by
Armoursaleshighlight churchcashcrisis
Artefact sell-offs underline growing pressure on parish funds. Robin Stummer and Sophie Goodchild report
Wootton Church’s helmetless tomb, and the helmet, which sold for £54,000
some heritage bodies as setting a dangerous precedent for the historical integrity of ancient places of worship. In spring 2009, Cornerstone reported on the proposed sale of aWilliamBurges font,made for Draycott Church in Somerset in 1861, which the parish wished to sell for around £100,000 to anAmerican collector. The collector offered an additional £10,000 for a replica to be made. Thematter went before the Court ofArches, the Church of England’s supreme court, where permission to sell the font was denied. Wootton church had asked theDiocese of
Winchester to grant a faculty to enable the helmet sale to proceed. The diocese gave consent for the sale last summer. Cornerstone contacted the diocese and parish for comment, but at the time Continued overleaf
JamesInnerdaleCharlieCoalition’s heritage brief
Howvery annoying for some politicians: SAVE Britain’s Heritage stymies government’s plans for mass demolition
Farewell,SPAB’s tireless friend
news briefing
THE Duke of Grafton KG, the SPAB President who died in April,was a giant of postwar building conservation. Itwas thanks to his early commitment to the SPAB that he later went on to devote his life to the widest possible range of heritage bodies and issues, unequalled before or since. His role and influence were truly unique. His namewas universally known throughout the heritageworld. Itwas inOctober 1950 when the Duke (then the
Earl of Euston)was spotted by the SPAB Chairman Lord Esher as a potential successor. The post of SPAB Vice Chairmanwas created for him, and under the tutelage ofMrs Dance, the SPAB Secretary, and Lord Esher he came regularly to the SPAB offices in Great Ormond Street, London. Here he began writing letters and campaigning for threatened buildings at a time when fewother heritage organisations existed, or where they did, were still struggling to recover from thewar. Twenty years later the Duke (he succeeded as Duke of Grafton on his father’s death in 1970) became SPAB Chairman, a post he held until his retirement in 1989, representing 39 years of work for the Society. In spite of the introduction of listing of buildings in
the 1940s the subsequent years were the worst ever for loss of important historic buildings. After years of neglect andwartimemisuse and damage numerous country houses faced demolition. Itwas into this world that the young Lord Euston added his energies to the SPAB in whatwas at times a hopeless task. But the Dukewas nomere grandee, brought in to
add kudos to a small charity. Hewas deeply committed to the cause, and took great pains to visit buildings at risk. He went to report on Somerset Lodge, an early 17th-century house in Petworth,West Sussex, whichwas eventually saved by the SPAB from demolition. As he recalled: “Thiswas one of ourmost dramatic cases. The Petworth agentwas dreadful.” In 1956 he went on behalf of the SPAB to inspect Bourne Park, aQueen Anne house at Bishopsbourne,
Cornerstone, Vol 32, No 2 2011 3
JOHN LAWRENCE
JOHN MERTON
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