“INSPECTION OF CHURCHES MEASURE”
Within the Church of England, every church building must be inspected by a recommended ‘Inspecting Architect’. This professional will have been approved by the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). The Inspecting Architect is approved by the relevant diocese upon careful review of their work and experience with historic buildings on the basis of the professional being deemed competent for this type of specialist work on historic buildings. The professional will then carry out the Quinquennial Inspection as part of the “Inspection of Churches Measure” (1955, 1991), upon a PCC inviting them to do so by appointment. A Quinquennial Inspection is a detailed report (often presented as a bound book) which covers the condition of the building, defects, potential areas for improvement, architectural considerations in outline and many other elements – this is handed to the church congregation, the deanery and the diocese. The report contents vary on a project by project basis.
This regular system of review is designed to ensure that parish church buildings are kept in good repair. The importance of these regular quinquennial inspections being undertaken by approved professionals who understand the conservation and repair of historic buildings is very important; potential improvements can be recommended which will assist the congregation both financially and in terms of goals, and delays or incorrectly identifying problems will have costly ramifications.
