NOTE
MISSION AND PASTORAL MEASURE 2011
DRAFT PASTORAL (CHURCH BUILDINGS DISPOSAL) SCHEME
UFFORD ST ANDREW
DIOCESE OF PETERBOROUGH
The Church Commissioners have agreed to issue a note to all interested parties at
publication stage of a draft scheme under the Mission and Pastoral Measure 2011 which
makes provision for the future of a church building. This is to enable interested parties to
make a reasoned judgement on the merits of the draft scheme and, if they see fit, a
reasoned expression of support or objection to it.
The proposal is to vest Ufford St Andrew in The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) who
will be responsible for the care and maintenance of the building
The Building
The late mediaeval church of Ufford St Andrew is a Grade I listed building standing on the
brow of a hill within Ufford village, all of which is designated a Conservation Area with its
stone built cottages and farmhouses. The old Rectory adjacent to the church to the southeast and a 14th-century hall house are listed Grade II* and the 18th-century Ufford Hall is
listed Grade I, all forming an important ensemble with Group Value. The church was closed
for regular public worship on 1st January 2011.
The raised churchyard, of considerable archaeological significance, is long and irregular,
enclosed by a tall stone wall with a grand ornate scrolled iron gateway at the east end to
Main Street below. Headstones are located in the southern part, the oldest ones dating
from the early 18th century and some tablets have been set into the church walls. The
churchyard is still used for burial with cremation burials in a small garden. Due to its raised
location and tower the church building has highly significant landscape value.
The tower is of three equal stages with a clock face on both east and west sides. The aisled
nave is without a clerestorey and the roofs, recessed behind moulded parapets, are not
visible. The south aisle windows have 2-light windows to each bay with restored reticulated
tracery and a similar 3-light in the east wall. The north aisle has a pointed Decorated
window and perpendicular straight-headed window and there are double-chamfered north
and south doorways. The aisles have buttresses with set offs, some with gabled tops and
the rood turret on the north-east corner of the nave has later crenellation. The gabled stone
porch is 15th-century. The long chancel has a steeply pitched roof and Early English north
and south pointed 2-light windows with Y-tracery, a small low-side pointed window in the
west bay, a pointed priest’s door in the south wall and two 2-light pointed 19th-century east
windows with cusped tracery.
The interior features a tall tower arch with crenellated capitals and early Perpendicular 3bay north and south arcades with quatrefoil piers. At the east end of the south aisle there is
a cusped late 14th-century piscina, heavily restored. The nave is fully pewed with Victorian
benches with carved finials with floral designs, copying the mediaeval bench ends in the
north aisle. The fine 15th-century arch-braced nave roof with tie-beams has been restored.
The interior is limewashed throughout with red carpets over the stone-flagged floors
covering many fine ledger slabs.
The chancel has a tall double-chamfered arch and a blocked arch doorway to the rood loft
on the south side and a 19th-century arch-braced roof with king-posts The late 13th-century
piscina with shelf and triple sedilia in the south chancel wall has been restored. The late
19th/early 20th-century choir stalls have carved open backs with quatrefoil friezes and
curved ends. The Victorian furnishings and fittings are of some significance as a scheme.
The stained glass by Lowndes and by T F Curtis, Ward and Hughes, the Carre monument,
the font and its cover are of considerable artistic significance and the 15th century bells, the
Bowne monuments, Coat of Arms and hatchments are of some historic significance.
Condition of the Building
The Quinquennial Inspection report of April 2009 identified immediate repairs required to
the tower, chancel and aisle roofs, repointing of the upper level of the tower, the north aisle
centre window and upper level of the nave walls and rewiring of the lighting. Further repairs
to the aisle roof, the rainwater goods, the concrete aprons and stone setts against the foot
of the walls, renovation of all doors and re-leading of the windows and repointing of the
tower and timber treatment of the vestry wall panelling were identified as necessary by
2014. Works beyond the five year period were recommended, including re-slating the
chancel roof, interior plaster repairs and redecoration, further re-leading of the windows and
conservation of the memorials.
The CCT appointed an architect, who concluded that St Andrew’s is solidly built, shows few
signs of movement and the masonry is in good condition although it needs localised repair
and repointing and the roofs are in need of major work.
Access
Access to St Andrew’s is direct from Main Street and is both vehicular and pedestrian. The
church is approached via a path with the Old Rectory on the left. The space that had
traditionally been used by parishioners for parking on the south east corner of the
churchyard (indicated by hatching on the Scheme Plan) will be transferred to the CCT for
use for parking in association with its use of the building.
Views of the Statutory Advisory Committee
In August 2010, the Statutory Advisory Committee (SAC) advised that St. Andrew’s was a
highly listed church of high overall significance and it considered the church to be a feature
of outstanding value in the landscape and its immediate setting and of considerable historic
interest and archaeological sensitivity and while the church is a finely wrought building
typical of churches in the area, it was of high but not exceptional quality as a work of
architecture with limited scope for change to its fabric.
The SAC saw no objection to the removal of the late 19th century chancel choir stalls but
the 15th century seating in the side aisles were considered to be highly remarkable. The
Victorian replica seating in the nave was also considered to be of good quality and
significance and the SAC considered that removal of any or all of the nave seating would
have a high impact on these furnishings of high significance. The collection of stained glass
by Mary Lowndes was a rarity and of national significance. The Committee further advised
that in the event the Diocese was unable to secure a suitable alternative use, it would
recommend that the church be vested in the CCT.
Marketing for Alternative Use
In May 2013, the diocese’s agents reported that although there had been several enquiries
by the closing date for marketing, 30th June 2012, there was only one expression of
interest for use as an Arts and Contemplative Centre but this was withdrawn. Over a further
nine months of marketing to May 2013, several enquiries were received but none were
progressed. The agent was of the opinion that St Andrew’s is an attractive building and
continued to generate enquiries but the Grade I listing, availability for leasehold sale only
and limited parking had deterred potential purchasers.
The Draft Scheme
The Commissioners now consider it appropriate to publish a draft Pastoral (Church
Buildings Disposal) Scheme providing for the care and maintenance of Ayston St Mary by
the CCT.
Anyone who wishes has the right to make a representation for or against any provision of
the draft Scheme. If no representations against the Scheme are received, the
Commissioners shall make the Scheme.
Karen Abaka-Wood
Church House
London SW1P 3AZ
January 2014