The church has closed in my home town due to lack

Of membership and now the township is trying to figure out what to do with the building.

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SW-User

What caused the membership to fade?

Does the building have historical value?

Can it be used as an arts centre or for voluntary organisations?

Can it be pulled down?

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ninalanyon · 70-79, T

@LeopoldBloom Maybe so but that's what you are paying the solicitor (lawyer) who handles the conveyancing to discover.

LeopoldBloom · M

@ninalanyon I don't remember how that worked. It wouldn't be the first time a lawyer missed something.

LordShadowfire · 46-50, M

@SW-User

Our Victorian ancestors used to just pull them down, even the Wren churches of 1670s in London, magnificent though they were.

I'm not even a Christian and I can't agree with doing that. Beautiful old buildings are worth preserving.

Castenmas · M

They make for very interesting galleries.

ninalanyon · 70-79, T

@Castenmas They certainly do. Here is the St Ives artists association Mariners' gallery where I bought a pair of earrings made by a local artist a couple of months ago. It used to be the Mariners' Church.

I bought a pair of earrings by Marie Keeling

https://stisa.co.uk/
https://www.cornwalls.co.uk/arts-and-crafts/art-galleries/mariners-gallery

LeopoldBloom · M

This is happening all over the US. Many churches have not recovered their membership since COVID and don't have enough people to maintain their property. So they're either being repurposed or sold to developers. My only concern with this is if we lose any historical buildings.

https://slate.com/business/2023/07/church-real-estate-development-west-park-presbyterian.html