St James' church is a delightful mediaeval church in Hertfordshire with a remarkable and untouched 18th century interior and some wonderful brasses.
About the Churches Conservation Trust
Since 1977, St James' has been in the care of the Churches Conservation Trust, the national charity for historic churches at risk. The Trust is currently responsible for over 345 churches, attracting over 2 million visitors per year nationwide. At St James' the Trust works hand-in-hand with local volunteers to keep the church active and open for all to enjoy.
The Trust team
The Churches Conservation Trust (CCT) is a registered charity under the chairmanship of Peter Ainsworth.
The Board delegates day-to-day management of the charity to the Chief Executive, Peter Aiers.
He leads a small senior management team who themselves manage 50 (full time equivalent) staff working in national and regional teams.
The staff comprises people from many professional backgrounds and is responsible for ensuring that each of the Trust's churches is in good repair and open to the public.
They support over 1,000 regular volunteers and manage a wide range of projects and events.
What the Trust does
All of the Trust's churches are listed, mostly Grade I, and some are Scheduled Ancient Monuments.
They are worthy of preservation for a wide variety of reasons, all linked to their historic, architectural or cultural significance.
The Trust carries out an extensive conservation programme of repair and maintenance, with a priority in keeping churches structurally sound, weathertight and well presented for visitors.
The work of the CCT supports annually over 45 local craft and related skills jobs and enables 1,500 volunteers to play a critical part in safeguarding these ancient buildings.
Regenerating communities
The CCT is committed to finding new uses for ancient churches and keeping them as a focal point for local communities.
How is it possible to find, nurture and develop sustainable, long term new uses for some of our finest historic buildings like St James'?
The CCT has established a Regeneration Taskforce specifically to focus on major projects which require a blend of regeneration expertise and community skills to succeed.
The Trust works in partnership with community groups, charities, social enterprises, Friends groups, businesses and entrepreneurs, to create new life in these historic buildings, and to realise living and vital assets for people and their communities.