Couple Forced To Sell House To Pay Chancel Bill

You may remember that we reported the case of Adrian and Gail Wallbank a few years ago – the couple who were being asked to pay £230,000 towards the repair of St John the Baptist church in Warwickshire.

The bill came to them because they had inherited a farm that included ‘rectorial land’ (land that once belonged to a medieval church). This defined them as ‘lay rectors’ and as such they were deemed liable for the upkeep of the area near the altar known as the chancel.

They have fought the claim for 18 years but last December they finally lost in the Court of Appeal and are now selling their farm with a guide price of £500,000.

They plan to use the proceeds of the sale to pay off the £230,000 church repair bill and recoup the £250,000 they have spent on legal fees.

This might sound like some obscure local covenant, but 3.5 million acres of land in England and Wales, and the homes, schools, hospitals and factories built on it, are now thought to be potentially at risk from this archaic law.

So if you’re buying a house, get your solicitor to do the necessary checks. Go to the main site to read our guide to chancel repair bills.

And in the meantime, spare a thought for the unfortunate Wallbanks, who might have expected the local church to pursue the letter of the law with a little less punitive zeal.

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