Good maintenance is important to buildings of all ages and types. Some deterioration of a building over time is inevitable but regular maintenance helps slow the rate and lessens the need for large-scale, costly work further down the line. The SPAB campaign, Maintenance Week (17-24 November 2023), is a reminder for anyone who looks after a building - regardless of its age, type or purpose - of the simple, achievable steps they can take to prepare for the worst that winter can bring. Follow us on social media @spab1877 to get updates and tips during the week. 

In the SPAB’s seminal Manifesto, our founder William Morris spoke of the need to “stave off decay by daily care, to prop a perilous wall or mend a leaky roof.” A message just as vital now as it was in Morris’s time. Maintaining your building involves simple, frequent checks and minor works: clearing gutters and drains; fixing slipped slates or tiles; or replacing missing putty around glass.

The SPAB has run two projects that champion volunteer-led maintenance in places of worship, Faith in Maintenance and the Maintenance Co-operatives Project. Volunteers looking for information on how to care for their community's faith building can use our Maintenance Checklist for Places of Worship, a joint project between the SPAB, the National Churches Trust and Historic England. The checklist is divided into five categories to facilitate maintenance checks: roofs, rainwater goods, exteriors, interiors and building services. There are video guides below that will guide volunteers through their maintenance checks.