Exploring our Historic Churches: In Conversation with Rachel Morley & Alix Chidley-Uttley

Rachel Morley, Director of Friends of Friendless Churches, is coming to Tanners for an evening in conversation about her new book, Church Crawling – The Secret Lives and Hidden Stories of England’s Churches. (The Times Book of the Week, 4th September 2026)

Rachel is a building conservator and has spent many years working with historic churches. Since 2018 she has been Director of Friends of Friendless Churches, the organisation that rescues and cares for redundant historic places of worship across England and Wales. Rachel is also a Fellow of the Society of Antiquaries and former Chair of the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings.

Church Crawling is a book about looking closely at England’s historic churches and the centuries of a changing worship. The Medieval paintings, monuments and memorials, inscriptions, graffiti, craftsmen’s marks, carved timber and the countless alterations made over centuries all tell us something about the people who used these buildings.

Rachel will talk to us about the churches they have saved, what their buildings and contents can reveal about the past, and the work involved in conserving churches that are no longer in use for regular worship.

Join us for an evening exploring historic churches, architecture, conservation and the evidence of they reveal about everyday life.

7-9 pm