Online Lecture Series: Liturgy and Design in Times of Change: the Last Forty Years

We are delighted to announce that we are initiating an annual autumn lecture series this year. Each lecture is designed to offer a ‘deep dive’ into a topic, whether this be the fabric of a specific church, the work of a particular architect or an examination of a type of liturgical furnishing. The lectures will be held on Monday evenings between 6.30pm and 7.30pm via Zoom. The link will be sent out shortly before each lecture takes place. The lecture will last between 45-50 minutes and will be followed by 10-15 mins of questions and/or discussion.

Our fourth and final online lecture of the year will be delivered by Paul Velluet on the topic of 'Liturgy and Design in Times of Change: the Last Forty Years'.

Whilst relatively few new places of worship were built in the UK in the period 1985 to 2026, these years have seen many significant schemes of liturgical re-ordering in existing Anglican and Catholic churches – continuing a trend begun in both Churches back in the 1960s – not only realising, developing and sometimes revisiting the reforms of the Second Vatican Council and the parallel movement within the Anglican Church – but in responding, in Anglican churches in particular, to the increasing demands for enhanced facilities for the laity and the wider community and for improved accessibility in every sense. In his talk, Paul Velluet will focus on the impacts of such changes in both historic and other settings, including a number of cathedrals and college chapels, and on the extent to which they may be regarded as soundly based in every respect and sustained into the future.

Paul Velluet is a chartered architect and architectural historian – primarily engaged over the last forty years in the conservation and alteration of historic buildings and the design of new development in historic areas. He has been a member of the Society since 1980 – serving on its Council until 2023, as Chairman between 1992 and 1999, and as organiser of the Stephen Dykes Bower Memorial Lecture series between 1998 and 2022 - and has been as a contributor of articles and reviews in Ecclesiology Today and other journals.

In past years, he has served as a member of the Executive Committee of the Society of Architectural Historians of Great Britain, the Cathedrals Fabric Commission for England and the RIBA's National Awards Group, and has served as Regional Architect for English Heritage, London, and Chair of the Guildford Cathedral Fabric Advisory Committee. He continues to serve as a member of the Diocese of Westminster Historic Churches Committee. He was appointed as a Vice-President of the Society in 2023.

Please note that due to the virtual nature of this event, refunds will not be given.