Bringing the rich history of parish churches to life at a touch

Scholars at the University of York have joined forces with the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) to use new technology to raise awareness of some of the most historic English churches and how visitors can help save them for the future.

Christianity and Culture, based in the University’s Humanities Resource Centre, were asked by the Churches Conservation Trust, the national charity protecting historic churches at risk, to produce a new electronic interpretation of Holy Trinity in Goodramgate, York, one of 342 exceptional churches in CCT’s care.

Christianity and Culture, with CCT support, produced a stunning interactive DVD tracing the development of the country’s most iconic ecclesiastical buildings across history, including 24 of CCT’s churches.

The DVD, 'English Parish Church through the Centuries', includes easily accessible introductions to the latest academic research from nearly 230 leading scholars on parish churches and the influence of Christianity on literature, music, art and society.

It also features: vivid 3D interactive models of the development of church interiors and exteriors; hundreds of extraordinary images of churches from national and international collections; specially recorded Anglo-Saxon music, maps and conservation information; video introductions to four exceptional churches and individual case studies of over 30 more.

The English Parish Church through the Centuries complements an English Heritage campaign to help congregations care for their historic buildings.

One of the case studies features the remarkable church of St Faith at Little Witchingham, Norfolk, which was closed in the 1920s and was close to ruin nearly 50 years later. Then, art historian and conservation pioneer Eve Baker re-discovered the extraordinary array of medieval wall-paintings it contains. Years of painstaking conservation followed and it is now in the care of CCT, and open daily thanks to the dedication of conservators and local supporters.

The CD-Rom and the touch-screen of Holy Trinity Church Goodramgate include a 360- degree panorama highlighting the key features to see and an evolving model showing the development of the building through nine centuries. An illustrated history includes stories of people associated with the church through the ages. Sales of the CD-Rom will benefit the church and CCT as well as providing visitors with an exciting souvenir while the touch-screen will be installed in Holy Trinity during the autumn.

Dr Dee Dyas, Director of Christianity and Culture, said: “The story of the Church in England is interwoven with the history of England at every turn and its influence has shaped our social, cultural, imaginative, and physical landscapes. Parish Churches are not only treasure houses of astonishingly beautiful art and architecture; they are also story books with the experiences and memories of individuals and communities inscribed on their walls.

“They still stand at the physical and spiritual heart of many communities and welcome a host of visitors each year, offering people from all backgrounds a doorway into countless areas of heritage and culture.”

Loyd Grossman, Chairman of The Churches Conservation Trust, said: “The DVD will not only bring CCT’s Little Witchingham, in Norfolk, and other national jewels to a wider public, it will enable people to understand and engage with what they see. We hope that this joint work by Christianity and Culture and The Churches Conservation Trust will increase public awareness of these treasures, so they are in turn appreciated and cared for.”

These interactive resources offer teachers and students of all ages, as well as all those who use, care for and visit churches, easy to use but authoritative resources that explore the interaction of history, art, architecture, literature, music and spirituality through the centuries.

The DVD has been produced with the support of the Church of England, English Heritage, the British Museum, Lambeth Palace Library, the Fitzwilliam Museum and the CCT, as well as many other institutions, charitable trusts and the goodwill of over 250 scholars worldwide.

CCT has now commissioned the Christianity and Culture team to create a similar resource for St. Martin's church in Exeter for next spring. Similar resources are planned to bring many of the Trust’s beautiful historic churches to life in a new way for visitors, schools and local communities.