Maintenance Costs of British Clergy Castles Prompt Sales

A photo of Auckland Castle, estimated to be worth £2million (.26 million).(Photo: ALAMY)

Historic buildings where bishops in the Church of England (CoE) reside could be sold next year due to the millions of dollars spent in maintaining the properties.

Nine out of 44 buildings, including Rose Castle in Carlisle and Hartlebury Castle in Worchester, are being considered for sale after review by the nation's Church Commissioners, who spent nearly £7.3million (11.9 million US dollars) in 2008 maintaining the historic "see houses."

The CoE expects that properties sold off will be turned into hotels, apartments or museums, although the presence of irremovable tombs and chapels in the buildings may ward of developers.

Started in 2005, the review process for each property is initiated when the resident bishop reaches 62 in order to allow time for a smaller replacement house to be found when he retires. Each of the diocesan bishops live rent free in their see houses, which are often uses as offices and homes for staff.

While some bishops have already downsized their living quarters, not all of the CoE's clergy have welcomed the possibility of the historic properties being sold.

Bishop of Durham the Rev. Tom Wright told the Telegraph that Auckland Palace – a 90-room castle where Wright occupies a six-bedroom apartment – is a source of pride to locals and that alternative uses for the building would be difficult to find.

In use by the bishops of Durham since the 12th century, the building houses several valuable works of art including Zurbarán's paintings of Jacob and his 12 sons.

"Maintenance costs of the castle are commensurate with its age and size," Wright said.

Others have seen the palace as a roadblock to providing proper financial support for parishes in the city.

"If the church spends excessively on bishops and their houses there is going to be less in the way of cross-subsidisation and selective allocations to the dioceses, and thus the money demanded from poorer parishes will be greater," wrote the Rt. Rev. Stephen Lowe in a recent published book.

"It is they who are paying to maintain Auckland Castle for the Bishop of Durham and Rose Castle for the Bishop of Carlisle."

Auckland Palace is scheduled to be reviewed in early 2011 after Wright turns 62 on December 1.

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