Our Lady of the Wayside, Grasmere
Typological surveys
AHP is increasingly being commissioned to do historical, condition and significance assessments of particular types of buildings within an area or areas.
For example, in 2007 English Heritage and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portsmouth commissioned AHP to provide a short conservation statement for each church in the diocese. Declining congregations and clergy numbers in the diocese mean that amalgamation of parishes – with resulting vacancy of church buildings – is becoming increasingly likely. AHP’s study outlined the different vulnerabilities, issues and needs of each church in the diocese, together with information about the buildings’ historic origins, alterations and significance. Information was gathered from the diocesan archive in Portsmouth, and from visits to each church.
Our goal was to provide a clear picture of which buildings in the diocese are historic, why they are significant and what impact future changes will have. The information will enable the diocese to adopt a strategic approach to the future of its many historic churches, and help it to secure the future of these by, for example, planning programmes of maintenance or sympathetically incorporating newer facilities into the older fabric.