English Heritage claims Huddersfield churches in need of help

Jul 1 2010 Huddersfield Daily Examiner

THEY dominate the skylines and are often the heart of our communities.

But many places of worship across Huddersfield and West Yorkshire are in urgent need of major repairs.

Now a major survey by English Heritage reveals the true scale of the problem.

Officials say that out of 1,300 listed places of worship in Yorkshire, some 6% or several dozen are at risk of needing urgent major repairs.

The survey, which is part of the Heritage at Risk initiative, was carried out to assess the state of repair of places of worship and also to find out how congregations are coping with the responsibility of looking after the precious buildings, especially in today’s difficult economic climate.

West Yorkshire has 457 listed churches, temples and chapels.

Of these 131 are in Kirklees, including five listed at Grade I meaning they are of national significance.

There are 101 are in Bradford, 60 in Calderdale, 124 in Leeds and 41 in Wakefield.