Most churches in Britain are inspected ‘quinquennially’, that is to say every five years. The Church of England introduced quinquennial inspections as a statutory requirement in 1955 through The Inspection of Churches Measure. We often groan inwardly at the thought of the quinquennial. Usually it means more expense. But it is the right thing to do. The basic approach is, “A stitch in time saves nine.”
Quinquennial inspections involve a thorough survey of all aspects of a building’s fabric and are intended to identify problems which might have developed since the last time it was looked at. We get a report from the architect to help us to establish priorities for repairs, so we can ensure the preservation of the fabric. Quinquennial inspections are frequent enough to catch problems before significant damage occurs.
Our architect, Jessica, was with us on Wednesday for most of the day. We want to thank Sharon, who was also warden at our last quinquennial for her support, assistance and presence at the church that day.