History at its most human

The Churches Conservation Trust, which is charged with preserving the nation's historic churches, uses the quote in its annual report released recently.

The report, which must be submitted to the Church Commissioners and the Government, is actually part financial statement, part advertisement and highlights a handful of the 320 churches under the trust's care.

The Alan Bennett quote applies to four churches in this area, all benefiting from a little tender, loving care from the trust.

Hampshire field officer for the trust, Neil Skelton, has an intimate and detailed relationship with each building - many opened once a year for a special occasion. At St Mary's in Chute Forest and St Mary's in South Tidworth there have been recent weddings, All Saints at Little Somborne is opened twice yearly for rogationtide and harvest festival and for the first time in about six years St Peter's at Everleigh hosted a carol service at Christmas.

Mr Skelton sees these openings as 'spiritual airings'. Each of the four has a special character. At Little Somborne the church is the centre of a very small settlement. It is simple in character, made of flint, plaster faced and half Anglo-Saxon and Norman and is mentioned in the Domesday Book.

The Normans extended it but in the 14th century it was reduced in size. Only a few of the furnishings used throughout the centuries remain.

St Mary's at Chute Forest is in total contrast, made colourful by the deep, red interior walls and arches of finely pointed brick.

It was built for estate workers in the mid-19th century with a tall and shingled pyramidal spire which the trust is attempting to protect from attacks by woodpeckers by placing stainless steel interleaves between the shingles - a new idea in this country. Access is only by foot.

St Mary's at South Tidworth is the most splendid of the four churches with an unusual spire - rather appropriately, because this is a military area nicknamed the rocket launcher.

John Johnson who also designed Alexander Palace, created a lavish interior for MP Sir John Kelk.

Mr Skelton, who makes solitary visits to trust churches locked himself in St Mary's on one occasion, rang the bell to attract attention without success and finally found himself talking, through a locked mesh, outer door to a deaf dog walker. The resulting conversation left him hoarse but free.

Everleigh's church benefits from a monthly cleaning routine by a Devizes resident whose parents are buried there. This 'new' church costing £14,000, including the nearby rectory, was built at the beginning of the 19th century to replace the 14th century building which stood near Ever-leigh Manor. Permission to demolish that building was given on the grounds it was in a dilapidated state and probably more importantly, too near the big house.

Mr Skelton says: "People question why we keep these churches, not least the clergy, although younger clergy do accept the need to have a service occasionally, what I call a spiritual airing of the building.

"I did have a clergyman who said 'Give me one good reason why I should hold a service in a redundant church' and I told him that he would see people at that service he had never seen at any other service.

"He came back to me and said that was true, the church was packed with people he had never seen before and, in fact, a number had then started attending his church."