LONDON CHURCHES.
A SCHEME FOR DISPOSAL.
THREAT TO HISTORIC PLACES
OPPOSITION TO REMOVAL.
By Telegraph—Press Association —Copyright.
(Received 7.40 p.m.) A. and N.Z, LONDON. Nov. 26
The Disposal of Churches Bill, which provides for the disposal of 19 city churches, was brought before the House of Commons, when Lard Hugh Cecil moved that the bill should be presented for Royal assent.
He explained that the measure authorised the sale of the sites of certain London churches. Owing to the loss of the Sunday population there were now 47 parishes for 12,000 resident inhabitants.
Nothing would be done without careful inquiry, but if the parishes in the citywere reduced in number their funds could be assigned to other churches in the diocese of London. The bill would place a difficult matter in the hands of a commission in full touch with moderate public opinion. Sir T. Bow at or, a former Lord Mayor of London, moved the rejection of the bill, urging that the object of the measure was to pull down great ancient churches in the city to get money to spend elsewhere. Lord Hugh "Cecil's motion was rejected by 124 votes to 27.
The suggestion to dispose of these churches has been the subject of much controversy in recent years. When the bill was introduced in the House of Lords it was passed by 71 votes to 54, and there soon followed many pretests against the measure. A petition against the bill was presented to the House of Commons. The petition set out that nine of the threatened churches had been built before the great fire of London, and others had been built by Sir Christopher Wren. These had been mainta : ned through the ages by the parish rate payers. It was pleaded that tbes<s churches should not be closed without the consent of the latter. The petition claimed that the edifices are really national memorials of great historical and architectural value, and that their disposal should not lie removed from the control of Parliament.
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Bibliographic details
New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19496, 27 November 1926, Page 11
Word Count
336LONDON CHURCHES. New Zealand Herald, Volume LXIII, Issue 19496, 27 November 1926, Page 11
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