The well-chosen assortment of people who have been considering the
preservation of parish churches in this country seem to me to have made a very good job of it. Their report brings out several interesting facts. It appears, for example, that one trouble is the serious dearth of skilled craftsmen, particu- larly stonemasons. When some big undertaking, like the new House of Commons, is in progress it absorbs practically the whole stonemason force of the country. The Ministry of Works has the question of training stonemasons in hand, but the number of boys entering the industry is still not equal to the demand. Many more competent ecclesiastical architects too are needed. I like the suggestion that tubular scaffolding, a very expensive item in external repairs, should be acquired by the diocesan authorities and hired out to individual churches as needed. Altogether it looks as though, thanks to this commis- sion, some churches at any rate may be preserved. Many commissions achieve less than that.
* * *
Previous page
