The churchyard in which the church sits is closed to new burials. It remains in the ownership of the church, but maintenance responsibility was passed to South Staffordshire District Council in 2017. (The churchyard extension on the opposite side of Church Hill is still maintained by the church). The Council surveyed the churchyard walls in 2018 and concluded that they were unsafe, erecting safety fencing along the section of wall abutting the public highway. In 2022 the Council proposed to fund the repair works with a “Special Expense” levy on the Parish Council’s Council Tax precept. This proposal was, understandably, not popular with the residents of Kinver and has now been abandoned. The Council has instead decided to fund the works as part of their 2026/27 capital budget for the maintenance of all the closed churchyards for which they are responsible. St Peter’s and the Council are now working together to secure permission from the Diocese of Lichfield to undertake this work. St Peter’s Church is a Grade 1 Listed Building and the churchyard walls form an important part of its historic setting. The proposals will therefore need to be sensitive, with repair and reuse of historic materials wherever possible, if they are to be agreed by the Diocese. In some sections where the walls have collapsed, complete reconstruction will be required. In the winter of 2024/25, heavy rain and strong winds rocked the abutting lime trees causing a section of the north wall towards the east end to collapse into the adjacent field. In the summer of 2025, a section of the low south wall abutting the top church yard park started bulging out and had to be dismantled by the Council. These collapses underline the urgency of taking action now. This will be a significant engineering project estimated to take about twelve months. Significant disruption to the life of the church is inevitable, including access restrictions from time to time to parts of the churchyard and to Church Hill by the Lychgate. The Council’s contractors will need to establish a site compound in the churchyard. The work is however essential, for reasons of public safety and heritage concern. It will be undertaken under proper supervision by the Council’s conservation officer and with an archaeological watching brief, all at no direct cost to the church. St Peter’s will work closely with the Council’s contractors to ensure that disruption is kept to a minimum. This is essential work and doing nothing is not an option. St Peter’s Church Kinver April 2026
