Welcome from our Chairman
Buckinghamshire’s churches and chapels have played a central role in the history and community life of the county.
Some parish churches were founded more than 1000 years ago. Others were built to serve growing urban communities in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Buckinghamshire has been a place where new religious ideas and denominations have taken root – something reflected in the chapels and meeting houses found in many of our towns and villages.
The church is usually the oldest building in the community and its design, decoration, monuments and memorials both tell the story of generations of local people through the centuries and represent many of our greatest architectural and artistic treasures.
Despite this, churches and chapels receive no state funding but must instead rely on the generosity of their congregations and others locally. Many struggle. Repair and maintenance of ancient, listed buildings is not cheap.
The Buckinghamshire Historic Churches Trust exists to support local communities to maintain and restore their churches so that they can continue to be enjoyed by future generations. The Trust gives repair and restoration grants to churches and chapels throughout the historic county of Buckinghamshire, including Milton Keynes.
We are supported by the generosity of our donors, including the Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches and participants and sponsors of the annual Ride and Stride event. The Trust is a registered charity. We have no employees and are entirely managed and run by volunteers.
View and download our 2024/25 Annual Review
View and download our 2023/24 Annual Review
Join us in our Work
The Friends of Buckinghamshire’s Historic Churches support the work of the BHCT. Each year the Friends organise a number of events, including a church crawl and an illustrated talk and an annual Summer Reception. Read More»
Protect our Heritage
We make grants to churches and chapels of all denominations in the county of Buckinghamshire. Many grants are spent on repairing roofs and stonework, not surprising as many of our beautiful churches were built in the 14th century.