Chapter 5: St. George's Chapel, WindsorIntroduction |
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| 1. | St. George's Chapel, Windsor has some similarities with Westminster Abbey, but differs from it in important ways in its location, its history and the range of its activities. The issues which it faces are also different, and in particular a higher level of risk is posed by its secular activities. We address these below. |
| 2. | The Dean and Chapter hold their site in freehold. However, St. George's Chapel lies physically within Windsor Castle, and is separated from the town of Windsor by the Castle walls. This is a symbolic as well as a psychological separation, and can lead to a degree of tension with the local churches and the town in general, even while also lending the Chapel the mystique of close proximity to the home of the Monarch. Equally the physical setting inside the Castle itself and the need to work closely with the Governor of the Castle and the Royal Household can at times pose constraints. Finally Windsor, unlike Westminster Abbey, is separated from the capital and symbolically from the wider Church, and this in itself presents a risk of isolationism and inwardness. |
| 3. | St. George's Chapel, like Westminster Abbey, is visited by large numbers of tourists. However most of them probably see a visit to the Chapel as part of their general tour of the Castle, rather than as standing in its own right as a central part of the nation's royal and political life and history. |
| 4. | While Westminster Abbey's choir school consists only of choristers, that at Windsor is now a mixed preparatory and pre-preparatory school with some 246 children, and further expansion is planned. The School and its financial needs occupy a good deal of the attention of the Dean and Chapter, as does St. George's House, which is located in a building owned by them and whose organisation involves the Dean and Chapter in management issues and in the direct running and leadership of its courses. |
| 5. | Despite this, the management and paid staff structure at St. George's Chapel is much smaller and less complex than that of the Abbey, and the management role of the Dean and Chapter in these activities and in their statutory offices is consequently very much hands-on and to the fore. The Canon Treasurer and the Canon Steward, for example, are personally responsible for the important spheres of financial and fabric issues (the latter including beside the Chapel itself a modern complex of twenty-five flats and some thirty medieval or historic domestic dwellings). They are heads of departments, supported by small numbers of staff, and unlike the situation at Westminster, the Chapter Clerk is not the head of the management organisation. |
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Mission |
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| 6. | St. George's Chapel was founded as a collegiate community in order that daily prayers might be offered for the Sovereign, the nation and the Most Noble Order of the Garter. Not being monastic, it suffered no formal break at the time of the Dissolution, though later the Garter Knights ceased to meet in Chapter at Windsor to elect new members, and there were few Garter services held at Windsor. However the duty of prayer was maintained and is still observed today in the daily offices and other services. The annual Garter Service was reinstituted in its present form by George VI on St. George's Day, April 23rd, 1948, the six hundredth anniversary of the Order. It is a very important event in the annual calendar of the Chapel. Further special services are also held for organisations, as well as funeral and memorial services for individuals. Being extra-diocesan, the Chapel does not play a role in the diocese and is cautious about seeming to compete with local churches. However there are signs that local involvement is appreciated when it is offered, and the Chapter must consider carefully the degree and nature of its wider involvement if it is to escape the danger of detachment. |
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The Royal Family |
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| 7. | St. George's Chapel has a particularly intimate connection with the Royal Family. It is situated within Windsor Castle, which has been both a royal residence and a family home for the Monarch, particularly from the eighteenth century onwards. It contains the tombs of ten monarchs, including most recently George VI. The Dean is Senior Domestic Chaplain to The Queen, with whom he has a regular audience. Seven members of the Royal Family are Knights or Ladies of the Order of the Garter, of which the Dean is the Register. As well as his pastoral duties in relation to those living and working in Windsor Great Park, the Canon Chaplain is in charge of the services at the Royal Chapel, near to Royal Lodge, which are regularly attended by The Queen and by Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother. |
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The Military Knights |
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| 8. | Until their name was changed under William IV, the Military Knights were known as the Poor Knights, of whom there were originally twenty-six, and who were supported from the endowment revenues of the Chapel. Since Elizabeth I there have been twelve, in addition to a Governor. Today they are still members of the College, but fall within the responsibility of the Constable and Governor of the Castle and are housed at the expense of the Privy Purse. They are retired officers whose duty to attend the Chapel service on Sundays and certain special days was affirmed by Edward VII in 1907 after daily obligatory attendance had been relaxed by Queen Victoria in 1870, and today they parade in uniform at Mattins every Sunday on behalf of the Knights of the Garter. As the proportion of women in the armed services grows, so consideration will need to be given to admitting women to the order. |
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Worship |
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| 9. | The focus of worship is comprised in the daily offices and special services in the Chapel, which preserve essentially a 'cathedral style'. There is a regular congregation drawn from a wide area, as well as tourists and visitors and those who attend special services. The main service on Sunday mornings is Mattins, with sermon, at 10.45 a.m., attended by the Military Knights, followed by a Sung Eucharist at 11.45. Discussions have been held in the past about replacing Mattins with a Sung Eucharist as the main service, as has generally happened in churches and cathedrals elsewhere, but no change took place. We believe that further consideration might now be given to this matter, and are not persuaded by the argument that it would place an unacceptable burden on the Military Knights. Apart from the desirability of such a change in terms of contemporary ideas of appropriate worship and liturgy, it would also make greater allowance for fellowship with the congregation after the service than the present arrangement, with two services following straight on from each other. |
| 10. | There may be invited preachers at special services, but this is not the custom at the regular services. Greater flexibility here would be beneficial, as well as freeing the Canons for more outside involvement. |
| 11. | Pastoral ministry is extended to the regular congregation and to the visitors under the guidance of the Canon Chaplain, an office which is a recent and welcome innovation, together with the Chaplain and Dean's Vicar (a Minor Canon), to St. George's House and the choir school by the Minor Canons and to the Castle residents by the Dean with the Dean's Vicar. |
| 12. | About 250 Voluntary Stewards assist the small staff of Sacristans under the Virger, working on a rota system. As we have noted in chapter 4, volunteers are a valuable resource for a cathedral or collegiate church. However they also need careful management and training and we encourage the Dean and Canons to review their current practice in this light, although we have no reason to think that it does not already conform to good practice. |
| 13. | The high standard of choral music is a feature of St. George's Chapel, with boy choristers and professional Lay Clerks (the latter on five-year contracts, and provided with residential accommodation) under the Organist and Master of Choristers. There is also an assistant Organist and an Organ Scholar. Although the Dean is Ordinary, overall responsibility for the services is with the Canon Precentor, together with the Succentor and Virger. Concerts are also given from time to time; the choir has made several CD's recently and occasionally goes on tour. |
| 14. | The large and active organisation of The Society of Friends of St. George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter, of which there are 6,000 members world-wide, hosts a well-established programme of events and raises money for the College and its properties. In 1998-99 some £46,500 was contributed to the Organ Appeal and another £35,000 for work in the bays outside the North Door and the South Quire Aisle, besides funding for smaller objects. But the Society is more than just a fund-raising vehicle; it spreads the appreciation of St. George's Chapel world-wide, and acts as a focus for the loving work and attention of very many who are literally its friends. |
| 15. | The Dean and Canons are patrons of 51 livings, some held jointly, but most with the Dean and Canons as sole patron. Their care represents a further duty on the Dean and Canons, but also a way in which they serve the wider Church. |
| 16. | There is no equivalent of the Lector Theologiae at Westminster Abbey, and apart from the School, the teaching function of the College rests mainly in St. George's House. School visits are catered for by the Castle Education Centre and the Chapel features in educational project work. Regular and successful lectures, exhibitions and presentations are also held. However, we suggest that it would be helpful for the Dean and Chapter to consider other ways in which they might extend their mission to a new and broader constituency, and how they might make the existence and activities of the College more widely known. |
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Archives |
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| 17. | The important archives owned by the Dean and Chapter are now well displayed, thanks to a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund, and access is possible for bona fide visitors and scholars wishing to consult them. This is an excellent development. |
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Governance |
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| 18. | The governance of the College of St. George was laid down in the Foundation Statutes, of which only copies survive. These have been augmented or supplemented by, for instance, Royal Grant, Injunctions, Act of Parliament, Orders in Council and Letters Patent, the most recent being the Letters Patent regulating the role of the Canon in the Great Park in 1981. Canonical authority for Edward III's foundation was granted by Papal Bull, and a second Bull gave it exemption from any diocesan or provincial jurisdiction. |
| 19. | The governance of the College is in the hands of the Dean and Chapter, with the Lord Chancellor as Visitor. All members of the College have the right of appeal to the Visitor, and Injunctions have generally been issued following a Visitation. |
| 20. | The Dean (originally known as the Warden) is Ordinary of the Chapel. However, this is given a different interpretation at Windsor from Westminster Abbey, and since at Windsor the Dean holds a Canonry and a Prebend he is defined as being primus inter pares ('first among equals') with the Canons. He does not have a casting vote in Chapter. In practice this should not pose problems, but there have been difficulties at times in the past, and we therefore recommend that the position and overall authority of the Dean is clarified. This is particularly desirable when as now there are major issues to be faced by the Chapter. |
| 21. | The Dean is Chairman of the Chapter, the Councils of St. George's House and of St. George's School, and of the Friends of St. George's and Descendants of the Knights of the Garter. He is also Chairman and Director of the St. George's House Trust (Windsor Castle) and of the St. George's Chapel Bookshop Ltd. He is Register of the Order of the Garter and Senior Domestic Chaplain to The Queen. He also gives his time and expertise to the running of the courses at St. George's House, and participates on a personal basis in external activities (as do the Canons). |
| 22. | Three of the four residentiary Canons give a considerable amount of their time to St. George's House, and all are Directors of its Trust; equally they are also all members of the Council of St. George's School. |
| 23. | In addition the Canons are formally elected at the October Chapter each year to the statutory offices of Canon Treasurer, Canon Steward and Canon Precentor, though in practice actual rotation does not happen so often, no doubt because the first two of these at least are substantive posts carrying direct hands-on responsibility for the technical areas of finance and fabric conservation and maintenance, and require time to master, there being no reason to expect that clergy will necessarily have experience either in managing a large budget or in technical matters connected with historic buildings of prime importance. Neither of the Canons in question has an extensive support staff (the Canon Steward has a team of only four in addition to the Clerk of Works), and it is not clear to us that this arrangement represents a good use of their time or talents, particularly in consideration of contemporary expectations of accountability and technical expertise. |
| 24. | School governance is also now an increasingly demanding responsibility, especially when as here the school in question is undergoing a major expansion. Questions of liability may arise as well as of management, and for these reasons it may be desirable to bring in more experienced lay persons, and to make its governance more independent of the Dean and Chapter, for example by setting up a charitable company limited by guarantee, as has been done in the case of St. George's House. |
| 25. | St. George's House is treated separately below. However, we are conscious that it depends crucially for its operation on a major input of time and planning by members of the Chapter. This is something which must be taken seriously into consideration when appointments are made. It cannot necessarily be assumed that persons suitable in other ways to be Canons will have the required educational skills, or that if they do, these will be sustained over a period of possibly many years. |
| 26. | The innovation of making the Canon in the Great Park also the Canon Chaplain was a sensible move designed to meet the perceived need for pastoral ministry on the part of the regular congregation and the visitors to the Chapel. |
| 27. | The number of Canons has been reduced over the years, for instance by the Ecclesiastical Commissioners Act of 1840, although the designation of the Canon in the Great Park was an innovation of 1981. Taking into account their work for St. George's House and the running of St. George's School, together with their personal portfolios, in addition to their pastoral, liturgical and residentiary duties, the present Canons are undoubtedly busy. It would be desirable to consider whether some of these tasks could be handed over to lay management, leaving them freer for service and mission in a broader sense. |
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Management and organisation |
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| 28. | By comparison with Westminster Abbey the number of paid full and part-time staff at St. George's is relatively small (approximately 60, excluding St. George's House and the School). There is no overall hierarchical structure and the Chapter Clerk is not the head of the paid staff. Reporting lines are in general short, upwards to the individual head of department, with the largest concentration of staff being concerned with the music and management of the Chapel and reporting to the Canon Precentor. There is indeed diversity of responsibility within the management structure. However there are heavy responsibilities inherent in running such a complex institution, and we feel that it would be helpful if the existing management structure were further streamlined and made more integrated. This would help to clarify responsibility in important areas. It would also be helpful when facing the serious questions of setting priorities in funding and other matters which are likely to face the Chapter over the next decade. Indeed we were told that an internal committee has recently been set up to review staffing structure and remuneration of lay staff within the College, including St. George's House, and a professional accountant has been appointed with shared responsibilities between the College and the House, with a brief to review the present accounting software and to assist in drawing up a formal constitution for the Finance Advisory Committee. |
| 29. | In order to ensure that employment practice is transparent and fair, guidance on personnel matters has been sought from a specialist firm, which also operates a 24-hour helpline for staff. All appointments are advertised, and specialist assessors called in to help when needed. The College aims to be an equal opportunities employer. |
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Tourism |
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| 30. | Tourism is a major factor in the daily life of the College and especially the Chapel, and it provides its main source of income. During 1998-99 there were 1.4 million visitors to the Castle, of whom it is estimated that 80-90% will have visited the Chapel. The latter's position within Windsor Castle can cause difficulties, for instance when the Chapel is closed for special services and unavailable to tourists. In the past two separate ticketing systems were required, but since 1993 there has been a single entrance fee to the Castle which also includes entrance to St. George's Chapel. This agreement was entered into with the Lord Chamberlain's Office and the Privy Purse on behalf of the Royal Household and successfully negotiated by the Chapter Clerk. It also gives the College an agreed percentage (27.5%) of the net visitor receipts, and the amount is underwritten should it fall below a certain figure (£720,000 in 1994, increased by subsequent variation in RPI). The return from this source amounted to £892,234 in 1999. |
| 31. | The pastoral care and education of visitors is not an easy matter, especially where space for a possible visitor centre and other facilities is limited. The Canon Chaplain is responsible for pastoral care of visitors, who are encouraged to pray, request prayers and light candles if they wish. The Voluntary Stewards explain the working of the Chapel and the Order of the Garter and visitors can buy an excellent booklet and a video in the shop in the Bray Chantry. Regular exhibitions, lectures and presentations are held (a recent one being on the Chapter Library and its rare holdings), and the chapel is also featured in the Castle Education Centre which caters for school visits and project work. |
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St. George's School |
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| 32. | St. George's School is a boarding and day preparatory school with a pre-preparatory department. It is situated on a site formerly occupied by the Naval Knights, and owned by the Dean and Chapter, with direct access by a stair to the residential buildings and the Chapel. In common with other preparatory schools it has experienced a decline in the popularity of boarding, and has met this by extending the provision for day pupils and by making boarding arrangements much more flexible. In recent years it has also become co-educational and added the pre-preparatory department. There are twenty four choristers, for whom 50% of the standard fee is paid by the College; other pupils pay the full fees. At the time of writing there were 246 children in the School, 103 of whom were in the pre-preparatory and 143 in the main school, and the aim is to expand to 350 by 2005 so as to make the School fully self-supporting. |
| 33. | Music is very strong in the School. Apart from the Chapel choristers, the second (mixed) choir sings in the Lower Chapel at Eton College, and there is a strong instrumental and choral input. Attention is given to the integration of the choristers with the rest of the School, for example, by providing each boy with a 'partner' to make sure that academic requirements are known if the chorister has to leave a class early. The Succentor (a Minor Canon) acts as chaplain to the School. A full curriculum is offered, with a wide range of extra-curricular activities. Boys and girls enter the main School at 7+ after academic tests and interviews, and, in the case of potential choristers, voice and music trials, and they generally go on to independent school at 13+, often with scholarships. |
| 34. | The School has an academic staff of eighteen and a pre-prep staff of nine, as well as a music department headed by the Master of the Choristers and the Director of Music and containing a large number of instrumental teachers. |
| 35. | The School is situated in an area already well supplied with independent preparatory schools and it therefore needs to be fully competitive with them, not least because its intake is largely drawn from a similar professional and self-employed sector. There have been three inspections during 2000: Nursery and Pre-Prep, Social Services (boarding), both favourable, and a follow-up by the Independent Schools Inspectorate to an inspection made in 1998 which commended the considerable progress made since then. The impression is of a lively and confident community in which the heavy demands placed on the choristers are well balanced in the context of a diverse and busy school. If it is to continue its expansion, however, and achieve its aim of becoming established as a relatively large mixed preparatory school with a strong pre-preparatory department, the burden on its governors will increase. |
| 36. | The aim is for the School to run as a completely viable and competitive enterprise in its own right. A new headmaster arrived in January 2000 and recruitment is currently buoyant. It is noticeable that recruitment to the recently instituted pre-preparatory department has proved very successful. All this is very encouraging. However, planning for the considerable expansion which has taken place placed a large responsibility on the Dean and Chapter. A major building programme was successfully undertaken with the help of a major appeal and commitment of resources in 1996. But further improvement of facilities is needed if the numbers are to rise to the desired total, and money is already committed to the building of a new headmaster's house, which would free up essential space for use as extra classrooms. |
| 37. | At present the School is a direct undertaking of the Dean and Canons existing at their discretion rather than as a distinct legal entity. As such, they are liable and responsible for the financial state of the School. After some difficult years, requiring considerable financial assistance from the College, the School is predicted to break even in 2000. Nevertheless we have come to the conclusion that the present arrangement whereby the School's financial affairs are the direct responsibility of the College exposes the College to an unacceptable degree of risk. It is for this reason that we suggest that parallel steps should now be considered to those taken in the case of St. George's House to limit the College's liability. |
| 38. | The School is governed by a Council of ten, including the four Canons and chaired by the Dean. We are conscious of the pressures which now fall on school governors and the greatly increased demands made on them by parents, outside bodies and society generally. For these reasons we think that the composition of the Council should be reviewed and more lay persons included, with a view to further reducing the direct burden and the risk to the Dean and Canons. |
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St. George's House |
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| 39. | St. George's House was established in 1966 as a residential study centre at the instigation of the then Dean, the Rt. Revd. Robin Woods, and the Duke of Edinburgh, and opened by The Queen. The House occupies premises known as Denton's Commons, one of the properties which belong to the Dean and Chapter within the walls of the Castle. It has 24 bedrooms, some small meeting rooms and a capacity of about 40, and uses the Chapter Library (the Vicars' Hall) for lectures and other meetings. At present one of the Canons is Acting Warden, and there is also a Director of Studies, with secretarial and other staff. |
| 40. | The activities of the House are divided between 'consultations', short discussions and courses with attendance by invitation, held under Chatham House rules, clergy courses and conferences held by outside bodies. |
| 41. | Fundamental to the aims of the founders was the hope of influencing society by permitting lay people and religious leaders, as well as leaders in business and other walks of life who might not otherwise come together, to meet and exchange views in a free and confidential way. This may also include inter-faith discussions at a high level, and some particular themes have been explored, for example science and religion, business and professional ethics and issues relating to women in the ordained ministry. It is a stated aim that external conferences should if at all possible be consonant with the general aims of the House. The clergy conferences are mainly aimed at clergy in mid-career and offer the possibility of sustained reading, discussion and reflection on a variety of designated themes. The participants are nominated by diocesan bishops and others, and there are also at times gatherings for clergy from the parishes of which the College is the patron, and for clergy from the diocese of Oxford. |
| 42. | The St. George's House Trust (Windsor Castle) is a registered charity incorporated in 1998 as a company limited by guarantee with Memorandum and Articles of Association established under the Companies Act in 1995, on the basis that any surplus on winding up will be transferred to the College of St. George. The Dean and Chapter constitute the majority of the Board of Directors, which is chaired by the Dean, as is the larger and longer-established Council of St. George's House, whose membership includes five Garter Knights and twenty other persons. The Dean and three of the four Canons, as well as two other voluntary helpers, give a substantial amount of their time and expertise without remuneration to the running and activities of the House. For reporting purposes St. George's House is listed as an activity of the College of St. George of which the Dean and Chapter are the Trustees. Its staffing, housing and financing must be regarded as a significant part of their overall activity, and as we have said the St. George's House accounts are still consolidated with those of the Dean and Canons. |
| 43. | Annual turnover exceeds £400,000 and comes mainly from fees, investments and corporate and individual donations. However despite the fact that it can rely on the time and input of the Dean and Canons, and that it occupies accommodation owned and provided rent free by the Chapter, the House is currently making losses of around £60,000 annually. There is need for refurbishment and modernisation if it is to attract paying conferences. However its small size will inevitably limit the possibility of raising significant revenue from this source. The clergy courses are subsidised, and the level of overall corporate sponsorship is at present small. |
| 44. | Consideration is being given to ways to increase revenue through better occupancy and use. An ambitious fund-raising plan to pay for the refurbishment and provide capital is being established but it is too early to know how successful this will be. Meanwhile existing capital is being eroded, and subject to the success of the fund-raising, the longer-term financial viability of the House is likely to be dependent on continuing subvention from College sources. |
| 45. | Securing the future of the House will require a high level of management and governance. We commend the steps recently taken to establish the Trust and to strengthen the financial management. While these measures reduce the direct risk to the College we note that the Dean and Canons still comprise the majority among the Trustees and the Dean is Chairman, and we were not entirely clear as to the respective roles of the Board and the Council. Day-to-day running is in the hands of the Warden and the Director of Studies. There have been highly successful Wardens and Directors of Studies over the history of St. George's House. However it is not clear to us that the two posts are needed for an operation of this size. Nor is it easy in modern conditions to recruit persons of the right calibre for such posts. We would encourage a review of the most appropriate governance and staffing structure for the House. |
| 46. | These financial, governance and management issues would best be decided in the context of the strategic direction the House will take. There are reasons to think that it is time to review the original vision and role of the House and we have been assured that this process is already under way. Other possibilities for the use of St. George's House have been canvassed in some quarters. But many of those most concerned with the House have told us that they see the future in terms of a return to, or revitalisation of its original aims - consultations and clergy training. |
| 47. | If the original balance of activity is to be maintained, some comment is in place as to the content and organisation of the consultations and the clergy courses. In the case of the former, attendance is by invitation and the discussions are held under Chatham House rules. Short accounts of their content are published in the Annual Report, and some have been more widely circulated at the request or suggestion of the participants. A number of observations are possible. First, there are now more opportunities for such meetings to be held elsewhere than there were in the 1960s when the House was established, and for that reason alone it is timely to consider whether this is still the best format. Secondly, in today's world participation by invitation may lead to a charge of elitism and cliquishness not consonant with current expectations of openness and access. Thirdly, the success of such meetings depends very greatly indeed on the skills of those who plan and run them, and this places a considerable responsibility on the Dean and Canons who must take on this role over what may be a long period. Not only do they need to take an active role in running the consultations, but there are also important priorities and agendas to be set. Greater openness and input from external sources in the planning and running of the consultations would produce greater diversity and help to reduce the risk of staleness. Finally, we are aware of the importance which is attached to freedom of discussion and the application of Chatham House rules. We are also aware that this is a matter which is frequently discussed by the Council. Nevertheless we are persuaded that a greater degree of dissemination would be in line with expectations of transparency and might indeed be a better way in which the Chapter's teaching role could be seen to be exercised. |
| 48. | In the case of clergy training too, there are now other opportunities for clergy training which did not exist in the 1960s. Our witnesses have said that in some cases these seem preferable to the diocesan bishops who have to decide where to send their clergy and how to spend the money available for training. The three annual clergy courses run by St. George's House in January, July and October last for two weeks, four weeks and ten days respectively, with costs for participants paid by their sponsors. While many participants do clearly value the experience, it is not entirely clear to us whether being selected to attend is seen as being as prestigious as it used to be, or on what basis selection happens. Again, an aim of greater openness and access would be more in keeping with present thinking. |
| 49. | Given the various needs for training and education within the Church (not only confined to clergy in mid-service), consultation with other bodies as to what is actually wanted is essential. The House has no direct or organisational connection with the Church of England as such, although it is sometimes said that it could or should function as a 'staff college' for senior clergy of the Church of England. However this does not currently happen and we have found that the idea is not universally welcome. Again more effective consultation and agreement between St. George's House and the main bodies of the Church would be desirable. If St. George's House is to offer the best possible ministry in the field of clergy courses it needs to be clear about the types of clergy and lay training and education that are appreciated and desirable in current conditions, some thirty-five years on from when the original mission was formulated. There should also be opportunity for feedback and procedures for monitoring the quality and success of courses offered. Consideration also needs to be given to the training or further training of those who are actually conducting the courses. And finally, as a matter of good practice, the thinking, and the principles on which the House conducts its operations, should be known, and capable of being defended. |
| 50. | It is clear that the successful operation of St. George's House places a great responsibility on the Dean and Canons as individuals, and it is essential that full weight is attached to this need in making recommendations for appointment. Once appointed, it is unreasonable to assume that any individual will necessarily be able to maintain freshness and innovation in this role over many years. We consider the possibility of limited tenure for Canons in chapter 7, but we also recommend the use of in-service training and a greater degree of participation from outside in the planning and running of courses. |
| 51. | In summary, therefore, the issues to be addressed in relation to St. George's House are strategic, operational and financial. Its activities represent a major asset which can be used for the general good. Its mission is to be of benefit to the Church, the nation and the wider world. However there is a danger at present that its role is not fully understood and that it may not be fulfilling all of its potential or serving the wider constituencies as effectively as it might. Greater consultation about these needs, and consideration of how the House's activities might be more widely known, can only be helpful. A degree of debate about its future role would be a worthwhile development, and in our view would assist the Board and the Council in adapting the House for the next century. |
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Fabric |
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| 52. | The Dean and Chapter hold their part of the Castle, in the Lower Ward, in freehold, and consequently bear the heavy responsibility of maintaining and if necessary repairing medieval buildings of the first importance. They also bear the responsibility for fire and safety in this extremely complex set of buildings. These include not only the Chapel itself and the domestic buildings but also the inner part of the massive curtain wall of the Castle round the Lower Ward, the Dean and Chapter being responsible for the windows, doors and drainage pipes, though not for the maintenance of the wall itself. However the Crown is responsible for the Albert Memorial Chapel. The non-ecclesiastical buildings owned by the Dean and Chapter, i.e. the residential buildings, Vicars' Hall and the inside of the Curfew Tower, as well as the School, are not under ecclesiastical exemption and not Crown exempt; changes therefore require planning permission, and these buildings are subject to scheduling and listed building consent as ancient monuments. |
| 53. | The new Fabric Advisory Committee, with a lay chairman, acts as an alternative to the arrangements which cover other places which enjoy the ecclesiastical exemption. The Dean and Canons are in attendance, but are not voting members. We consider these matters more fully in chapter 7 below. The Committee is responsible for the buildings in ecclesiastical use, i.e. the Chapel itself, the Dean's Cloister and the Dean's Private Chapel, the Vestry and the Porch of Honour, as well as the Chapter Room and Chapter Office. The question therefore arise as to what structures are in place for dealing with necessary alterations or repair to the non-ecclesiastical buildings. |
| 54. | An up-to-date and detailed technical plan which clearly spells out these complex variations is essential for any assessment of future liability. For instance, the Care of Cathedrals Measure 1990 requires each cathedral to draw up a precinct plan. |
| 55. | A full survey of the fabric with predictions and estimates of future needs is a high priority. We understand that this has now been prepared by the Surveyor to the Fabric and Domestic Architect. |
| 56. | A grant was received from the Heritage Lottery Fund in 1998 towards the cost of the new facility for the Archives, situated beneath and behind the Vicars' Hall and a grant from English Heritage to include fire detection systems has just been announced. It is clear that other major works to the medieval fabric, for example in the horseshoe cloister, would require substantial outside funding. If this is to include further grants, appropriate mechanisms will be crucial. Major expenditure is likely to be required on essential maintenance in the foreseeable future, and this is unlikely to be within the present means of the Dean and Chapter. Maintaining the historic fabric therefore represents a further major risk for the Dean and Canons, not least in financial terms, and we understand that consideration is being given to the establishment of a Fabric Fund and a Development Office. |
| 57. | In comparison with many cathedrals, the Canon Steward has a very small works staff. This means that if major works are needed outside contractors must be brought in with less knowledge of the particular characteristics of St. George's Chapel. |
| 58. | The fabric of the rest of the Castle, which is Crown exempt, is managed by Royal Household Property Services (1990), according to the Department of the Environment circular 18/84. There may be scope here for St. George's Chapel in some sharing of expertise. |
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Finance |
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| 59. | Responsibility for financial administration and control rests with the Canon Treasurer. He is supported by a small team and a qualified accountant has recently been appointed. Over the last two years budgetary control has been strengthened and the accounting system computerised. The Dean and Canons approve annual budgets and the annual report and financial statements. They also monitor expenditure against budget on a monthly basis, and financial advice has been provided by an informal advisory committee with suitably experienced members. We understand that this is in the process of becoming more formalised and we address the issue further in chapter 7. |
| 60. | The financial responsibilities of the College of St. George include St. George's Chapel, St. George's School, St. George's House Trust (Windsor Castle), St. George's Chapel Bookshop Limited and St. George's School Enterprises Limited. The last two are wholly owned subsidiaries of the Dean and Canons, and usually make annual surpluses. The Chapel made a small loss in 1999. There are some grounds for concern in financial matters. We have considered the School and St. George's House above. Here it is enough to say that the School has required considerable subsidy in the recent past, but is now set on course for further expansion. The risk posed by St. George's House has been reduced following its establishment in 1998 as a company limited by guarantee and by an allocation of reserves, but it has continued to make losses even after allowing for its accommodation in Chapter property and for the input of the Dean and Canons, for which they do not receive extra payment. In general the College of St. George is much less secure financially than Westminster Abbey, and its year-on-year financial health is heavily dependent on the success or otherwise of these two enterprises. In the longer term there is a further risk in that the cost in the foreseeable future of necessary repair and restoration of the historic fabric, especially the residential buildings in the horseshoe cloister, is likely to exceed the present reserves of the College of St. George by a very considerable amount. |
| 61. | We have noted and are encouraged by the steps which have already been taken to deal with these financial pressures. However the main risks - associated with the future of the School, the House and the fabric - are longer term. They are also significant in relation to the resources of the College as a whole. There is likely to be a need to generate additional resource through fundraising and other means and to allocate resources between conflicting demands. We believe that the Dean and Canons would be greatly assisted in their forward planning by the preparation of a business plan, covering, say, five years, for the College enterprises as a whole, and a longer term strategic plan, for, say, ten years, to identify the condition of the fabric and to make proposals for necessary works. |
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Conclusion |
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| 62. | We have carefully considered the activities, organisation and responsibilities of the College of St. George, and have been encouraged by the means which are being introduced to address some of the issues which face it. Nevertheless further steps are necessary in our view, in particular in order to protect the liabilities of the Dean and Canons. We make these suggestions in the knowledge that some of the necessary assessment and evaluation is already under way. |
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