LONDON'S DERELICT CHURCHES.

Oamaru Mail, Volume XLIV, Issue 14707, 7 June 1920, Page 6

LONDON'S DERELICT CHURCHES.

Drastic recommendations, involving the . possible sale of several London church sites, have been made. the Dsiily Chronicle understands, bv the specially-appointed Bishops' Commission which has been sitting to consider the whole question as regards the City of London. About 1910 a somewhat similar committee was appointed: the present body have just completed their sittings, and their report will go forward to the Bishop of London, to whom the Commission lias been acting as an advisory body.

London's deserted City churches have long- been a question for serious 'consideration. and. as the conditions of the City changed, their neglected interiors on Sundays have caused a good deal of discussion as various times in church circles. } "People do not realise the number of churches in London which are almostderelict," said an official yesterday. "Some of those buildings have no particularly great value in architectural beauty "either, the reason being that Sir Christopher Wren was told to' go and build 56 churches in the City, and he seemed to have put them up at any convenient spot." "What will happen- to these clinches is all interesting problem to church people. In years gone by many amalgamations were made, and the tone of the report, portends' further amalgamations.'

As a docsan official pointed out recently : "Not only are some of them deserted 011 Sundays and the best part of the week, but all that is left of the churchyards is a disreputable catwalk and a few blades of grass." "Some of the sites and buildings." added the official, "may come into the property market, and others be contracted out for special purposes. It would be possible to arrange for services in one of them of the character held by Dr Dearmer and Miss Maude Rovden, or for the entente between Church and Nonconformists to be strengthened by joint use of the building. Thev might also be transferred for the use of other bodies such as the American Church or the Scottish Epis v copaliaiis. "It seems likely that- some, of them will disappear altogether in the course of time, judging, by the strong character of-the report." . -