Decaying masonry and rusting metal work have put 887 places of worship on the critical list as service attendance numbers continue to plummet.

A Save Our Spires appeal has just been launched to protect the 40 most threatened steeples while other of the Church of England's 16,000 buildings face closure because of the perilous state of repair.

The crisis is impacting religious services and community resources from scout meetings to zumba classes.

Churches are extraordinarily important because they represent the culture of a community over generations and are very much part of family memory Diana Evans, Head of Places of Worship Advice for Historic England
"We should care because churches because they are our history.

A lot of them are living museums, centuries old, and you can learn so much about what was happening in those times from churches," said Eddie Tulasiewicz, of the National Churches Trust, which has helped preserve 17 spires over the last three years.

"These are iconic buildings but they are also a vital part of the community. If you look at rural areas, the pub and post office have closed, the village store is long gone, so churches take on a huge significance."

But, with a dramatic 1.7 million drop in Britons identifying themselves as C of E or Anglican over the last two years, dwindling congregations cannot raise the money to fund complex and lengthy repair projects.

The soaring 14th century spire of St Wulfram's, in Grantham, which was said to have made Victorian art critic John Ruskin 'swoon', has just completed a year-long, £500,000 project to restore eroded stone in the 282ft tall structure.

"These repair projects are costly and challenging because the policy is to replace like for like and that involves particular products and very skilled craftsmanship," said Diana Evans, Head of Places of Worship Advice for Historic England, which compiles the At Risk register and administers grants.

"62% of the at risk churches have problems with their roofs and rainwater goods.

"Congregations have done a fantastic job keeping buildings going day-to-day but something like subsidence or dealing with wear and tear on a spire which is hundreds of years old is a massive crisis.

"Churches are extraordinarily important because they represent the culture of a community over generations and are very much part of family memory.

"They are at the heart of a community and part of people's feelings of belonging."

The C of E has 14,775 churches and a multi-million-pound maintenance bill. The government has just distributed £15 million grants from its Roof Repair Fund.

But developers are constantly eyeing up urban churches where population shifts and declining popularity have decimated congregations.

The Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors identified 500 London churches transformed into luxury apartments over a five year period.

The Heritage Lottery Fund has invested £527 million in more than 4,000 projects supporting churches and chapels over the last decade.

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