Quinquennial inspections of church and cathedral buildings and the role of the inspecting architect
Abstract
This paper looks at quinquennial inspection surveys and reports, a statutory requirement for all church and cathedral buildings in England and Wales and for many secular listed buildings. Drawing on her experience as Inspecting Architect to 45 church buildings and three cathedrals, the author outlines the practical requirements of the surveys and uses examples to explain the most common building defects identified by them. The paper discusses how surveys can be successfully employed to assist clients in the care of their historic buildings and to plan for capital building projects. This paper will be of interest to surveyors or architects who complete quinquennial inspection or condition survey reports. It may also be helpful to custodians of listed buildings who wish to understand more about the purpose of quinquennial inspections and to understand some of the most common recommendations. It will be of particular relevance to anyone working on ecclesiastical or listed building structures where there has been a history of poor maintenance or previous repairs, by offering technical information relating to a wide range of traditional building components. This article is also included in The Business & Management Collection which can be accessed at https://hstalks.com/business/.
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Author's Biography
RIBA SCA BSc Hons MArch AABC is an award-winning conservation architect for ELM Architects Ltd, based near Salisbury, Wiltshire. ELM Architects specialise in building conservation of listed buildings, particularly in the ecclesiastical sector. Emma is Cathedral Architect to St Alban’s Cathedral, St Woolos’ Cathedral in Newport, Wales, and is Inspecting Architect to over 45 churches within the Salisbury, Winchester, Bristol, and Portsmouth Diocese and former Cathedral Architect to St John’s Catholic Cathedral in Portsmouth. In 2022, Emma was awarded ‘Young Church Architect of the Year’ in recognition of her work to conserve the nave roof at St Mary and St Melor Church in Amesbury, which was awarded the King of Prussia Gold Medal by the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association (EASA) and the National Churches Trust. Emma studied architecture at the Welsh School of Architecture in Cardiff, before completing her qualifications and starting her early career in London, where she worked for Molyneux Kerr Architects. She was Associate Architect at St Ann’s Gate Architects, Salisbury for 10 years, working on projects for major English cathedrals such as Gloucester and Westminster Roman Catholic cathedrals. In 2024, Emma set up her own practice, ELM Architects, focusing on delivering high-quality building conservation and architectural services with a passion for making historic spaces fit for future generations and negotiating complex approvals processes. Emma is a member of the Cathedral Architects Association, Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings, EASA, and is a local DAC adviser.
Citation
Mullen, Emma (2026, September 1). Quinquennial inspections of church and cathedral buildings and the role of the inspecting architect. In the Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, Volume 15, Issue 2. https://doi.org/10.69554/TXLY2491.
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