Fabric Advisory Committee
Chairman Julian Limentani reports on the establishment and first decade of work of the Fabric Advisory Committee. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 2004-2005.
Cathedrals in England and Wales are not able to do as they like, with a Dean & Chapter removing parts of a Cathedral or adding to them as they feel fit. As with the secular world, there are permissions required and bodies that check what is being done.
With the 'Care of Cathedrals' Measure, 1990' came two new bodies. Firstly, the Cathedrals Fabric Commission of England, which has overall responsibility for giving permission for anything major that is done to any of the forty-two Cathedrals in England. Secondly, each Cathedral has its own Fabric Advisory Committee responsible for the lesser things that either have no archaeological impact or deal with the minor repairs to the Cathedral. The members of this Committee are appointed half by the Dean and Chapter and half by the Cathedral's Fabric Commission and between them they attempt to achieve a balance of knowledge with historians, conservators, conservation architects and the like.
The Council Room of Garth House, where the Fabric Advisory Committee meet quarterly. Photographed in 2023.
The Rochester Cathedral Committee has eight members, and in attendance, though not members of the Committee, are the Dean; the Cathedral Architect, the Cathedral Archaeologist, a Cathedral Administrator; and any other members of Chapter who wish to attend.
Early members of the Committee have included Dr John Physick, a national expert on monuments and memorials; Peter Miall, a consultant in Fine and Decorative Arts; Alan Brodie, a researcher for English Heritage and previously RCME; Professor Vaughan Grylls, Director of the Kent Institute of Art and Design at Maidstone; Michael Odling, who has long experience in the affairs of the county and local government; and Mrs Annaliese Arnold, who oversaw the cataloguing of the Lapidarium. As Chairman of the Committee I am also the Cathedral Architect to Peterborough Cathedral. At time of writing there is a vacancy on the Committee due to the death of Nigel Seeley, who was a conservation expert.
The Committee meets three times a year at the Cathedral. The meetings involve a visit to see the areas being discussed and presentations on proposals. We try to give the Dean and Chapter good, positive advice but this is sometimes not what the Dean and Chapter wish to hear!
When applications are made to the Fabric Advisory Committee they have to be made 21 days in advance of a meeting and at the same time the Cathedrals Fabric Commission, English Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings are notified of the application and its contents and two copies of the application are posted on the Cathedral notice boards. This is done so that any objections that any of these bodies or members of the public wish to make can be sent in advance of the meeting and can be taken into account by the Committee.
The Committee is supported by a Secretary who is independent of the Dean and Chapter and any correspondence regarding the Committee should be addressed to them care of the Chapter Office.
In the last few months we have been involved with both the inventory, which is a statutory requirement for each Cathedral, and the Conservation Plan, which is needed for any major application for grants from the Heritage Lottery Fund. We have also spent time on the new fresco, the kitchen in the crypt, and the new aumbry.
Find out more about the historic Cathedral inventories and explore the inventory today:
Cathedral inventories
Carolyn Foreman investigates the historic inventories of the Dean & Chapter. Featured in The Friends of Rochester Cathedral Annual Report for 1998-1999.
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We hope that we are making a positive contribution to the life and work of the Cathedral.
Julian Limentani
Chairman, Fabric Advisory Committee
Reillustrated and updated by Jacob Scott, 2023
Recent projects
The Friends of Rochester Cathedral were founded to help finance the maintenance of the fabric and grounds. The Friends’ annual reports have become a trove of articles on the fabric and history of the cathedral.
Canons, colleagues, volunteers and staff have shared their memories and reflections in many forms over the years.