An art exhibition depicting some of the UK’s most historic churches has been opened to raise money for the upkeep of the churches.

The “Twelve Churches” exhibition features paintings and limited edition prints by Gerard Stamp. All of the works are available for sale to the public and any funds raised will go to the Churches Conservation Trust, reports The Telegraph.

Some of the churches depicted include St Mary the Virgin in Shrewsbury, which is over 1,000 years old and was attended by Charles Darwin during his school days. Another featured church is St Andrew, Covehithe in Suffolk, the tower of which is used by sailors to navigate the coast to this very day.

The churches shown at the exhibition, as with all CCT-held churches, are no longer used for worship. Some lie unused but the CCT is aiming to open them up for use by the community as nurseries and concert halls.

Just last week, the government released a report in collaboration with the Church of England which suggested that churches looking for funding should adapt their buildings to be used by the whole community, rather than just worshippers.

Loyd Grossman, the chairman of the Churches Conservation Trust, said of the exhibition, "I hope these hauntingly memorable views of 12 of the CCT's churches will inspire more people to discover our outstanding and irreplaceable ecclesiastical heritage, and to experience for themselves the wonder and mystery that Gerard Stamp so impressively conveys.

"In this, our 40th year, the CCT is proud to continue its mission to put churches back in the heart of the community, by offering them up as venues that can be regularly used in a variety of ways to bring people together."

According to The Telegraph, the number of churches in Britain is expected to fall by one-fifth by 2030.