The Building Conservation Directory 2022

140 T H E B U I L D I N G C O N S E R VAT I O N D I R E C T O R Y 2 0 2 2 C AT H E D R A L C O MM U N I C AT I O N S BENEFITS Church communities and wider historic organisations are increasingly recognising the benefits bats can bring. An increased public interest in and desire for more connection with nature and wildlife means bats can be a lure to a whole new audience who may not ordinarily visit a church or historic building. Many of our project churches have had great success with engagement activities like school visits, bat nights and bat walks, and this success also stretches to fundraising and donations to the church. Historic buildings may find their visitor numbers boosted if their resident wildlife is properly recognised, respected and used to engage the public through events, interpretation and education. Bats and other wildlife add character, charm and a sense of place and remind all of us of the interconnectedness of all things and the value of thriving ecosystems. They spark curiosity, questions and creativity and bring back what is often lost in the everyday and the ordinary – the elusive and essential sense of wonder. *Further Information England: The Bats in Churches Project (batsinchurches.org.uk ) and the National Bat Helpline, Tel 0345 1300 228 Northern Ireland: Northern Ireland Environment Agency, Tel 028 9039 5264 Scotland: Scottish Natural Heritage, Tel 01463 725165 / batsinhouses@snh.gov.uk Wales: Natural Resources Wales, Tel 0300 065 3000 (ask for the species team) UK: Bat Conservation Trust (bats.org.uk ): Contacting an ecological consultant http://bc-url.com/bat-advice CATHYWALLACE is communications officer at the Bats in Churches project – see https://batsinchurches.org.uk . Protective sheets over the font and pews at St Andrew’s, Great Ness, Shropshire (Photo: Jonathan Taylor) The open roofs of the chancel and nave at St Lawrence, Radstone, Northamptonshire before being lined to separate bat roosts from the spaces below: and (right) the new ceiling in the chancel messy population of brown long-eared bats away from the areas they currently favour which happen to be areas used by the human inhabitants of the church. For other churches the solutions are less permanent in nature, and more flexible to reflect their needs. Often the simplest way to protect artefacts and historic monuments is to cover them, but this requires thought and care as to what materials to use and how to ensure the monuments themselves remain a visible and active part of the church. In the 11th century church of St George’s at West Grinstead, West Sussex, a series of marbled statues including one by JM Rysbrack has been sympathetically shrouded in a gauzy white veil, which not only catches the worst of the bat droppings but also complements and frames the sculpture in a highly dignified way. An intriguing and very rare wooden cadaver effigy, thought to be one of just two in the UK, housed at the church of St John the Baptist in Keyston, Northants, suffered some damage due to bats. For this nationally important artefact the solution was a thorough conservation clean, carried out by a professional conservator, before being housed in a bespoke oak and glass case to protect it from further damage. The case itself also helps make the cadaver more secure, and has been a simple but highly effective solution.