Residents dismayed at Woodhorn Church plans
Nov 9 2010 by David Black, The Journal
AN ancient village church is being offered for sale as a council presses ahead with a programme to dispose of some of its prime historic assets.
The decision to put the 11th-Century Woodhorn Church near Ashington on the market via a firm of estate agents has led to Northumberland County Council being accused of “heritage vandalism” by one local campaigner. The move has angered supporters and former users of the Grade I-listed building, who have been trying to set up a charitable trust to turn it into a museum or crafts training centre.
The new row follows the council’s recent decision to put four prime buildings in Hexham up for sale, which led to accusations of a “betrayal of trust” by descendants of the family which owned two of them.
Woodhorn’s Saxon church is one of the oldest in Northumberland, and has been a religious site since the ninth century.
After it ceased being a place of worship, it was turned into a heritage museum in the 1970s and was more recently the base for a local group of artists until earlier this year.
Yesterday local author and historian Mike Kirkup said attempts were being made to set up a Friends of Woodhorn Church group, with charitable status, to take over the building. He said: “We are dead against the sale by the council, because the feeling of local people is this church is something very worthwhile and it should be kept open for the public. We have talked about using it as a centre for apprentices learning heritage or stonework skills, and a museum is another idea. This is probably the oldest church in Northumberland, and is about 1,000 years old.”
Eva Hartley, who is part of the KEAP Creative artists’ group which was based at the former church until May, said: “This beautiful building has served the local community for hundreds of years, but the council has decided it’s surplus to requirements.
“I call it heritage vandalism because local people feel it could be developed as part of a cultural triangle of museums, along with Woodhorn Colliery and the new maritime heritage centre in Newbiggin. There are restrictive covenants on the building, such as a requirement for it to be open to the public at certain times, and we feel strongly it should be retained for community use.”
Sale particulars from agents Rook Matthew Sayer say future uses for the church are restricted by Church Commissioners’ covenants, and “development of any kind is strictly prohibited”.
A council spokeswoman said the creation of a single unitary authority for Northumberland had included an in-depth look at council-owned buildings across the county, to see how they are being used. She said: “The Woodhorn building is currently vacant. The council has already explored a number of options for the future sustainability of the building, and to assist in this process the property is being marketed.
“Consideration will be given to sale, lease or community transfer, subject to the viability of the project. The council is aware of the restrictions on the building, and we will have to work to provide an acceptable future use.”
