In 2023 the church faced a crisis. The 1960s fibreboard suspended ceiling had been silently collecting falling plaster from the failing Victorian ceiling above it for decades until a large section broke through. The ceiling was declared unsafe, fall-arrest netting was installed, and the scale of the challenge became clear: full internal scaffolding, complete ceiling replacement, rewiring, new heating and lighting, and redecoration, with an estimated project cost of £185,000. The award of a £42,000 David Booth grant from the OHCT, recognising the merit of the project, was transformative, giving the community the confidence to launch a public funding appeal in May 2025.
The works delivered more than structural repair. The restored nave ceiling, plasterboard panels set between the exposed rafters and scissor-brace trusses, recreates the interior as Buckeridge envisioned it. Heating and lighting are provided by two Herschel Halo chandelier units, elegant fittings combining far-infrared heating with integrated LED lighting, evoking the chandeliers that lit the church before the 1960s suspended ceiling necessitated their removal. The chancel is served by discreet wall-mounted far-infrared panels. The result is a church that is warm, well-lit and more beautiful than it has been for generations.
The community of Britwell Salome rose to the challenge magnificently. Plant sales, fetes, cabarets, individual donations and grant applications raised the remaining funds, and the church reopened for Easter 2026, a moment of real celebration for the village and a testament to what a small, determined community can achieve.
HISTORY
St Nicholas has stood at the heart of Britwell Salome for over 800 years. The current Grade II listed building, designed by Charles Buckeridge in 1867, replaced an earlier Norman structure while preserving some Norman elements, including a 12th century chancel doorway and baptismal font. Set in a peaceful, tree-enclosed churchyard on the edge of the Chilterns AONB and overshadowed by a 1,400-year-old yew, the church remains an important spiritual and social anchor of a village community of fewer than 200 people.
