Re: St. Boniface, Bunbury (Chester Consistory Court; Lorn as Ch. June 1991)

A confirmatory faculty was sought in respect of restoration of a mediaeval par-close screen, which had been removed from the church (a Grade
1 listed building) during the 19th century and the panels retrieved in recent years. 

After renovation the panels had been reinstalled as a display within the church, being mounted on a specially made oak framework on the wall of the south aisle. Certain monuments had been moved to accommodate the display. The Chancellor held that at the time when first restoration of the panels was desired to be put in hand, an application for a faculty should have been made. He regretted that the D.A.C., the architect and the Archdeacon should have allowed the parish to get itself into the difficulty of requiring a confirmatory faculty. The Court could not condone a procedure whereby work was done and a confirmatory faculty was sought thereafter. Where petitioners cannot give full details of the work which
will ultimately be carried out, the Court will deal with the matter by issuing interim orders which authorise the work stage by stage. In the circumstances a confirmatory faculty was granted, because the Chancellor was satisfied that the work done was of a high order.

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(1992) 2 Ecc LJ 320