Food for thought on a shelter

[snelo85]

I am in the process of looking at moving out in to the country.
My goal is to achieve it before the end of this year

(I MEAN NO DISRESPECT TO ANYONE WHO MAYBE RELIGIOUS)

BUT at the top of my requirement list is it MUST be local to a church not a modern day church (recently built),
I mean a heavy duty stone and flint construction
the reason being i am a bricky by trade (over 12yrs) and worked primarily on Churches and Norwich Cathedral and the odd barn
When the SHTF it would be a VERY good place to take shelter
as usually the walls are constructed of solid flint stone and mortar and can be upto 6ft thick (and on occasion thicker)
1 maybe 2 points of entry usually with very big sturdy doors
most have some description of a tower for a view point
they are also very good for staying cool in the Heatwaves we occasionally have
and in the winter can be warmed very easily with a few bodies moving around and a fire
not to mention the MASSES of space they have inside for numerous people or storage

anyone else got any thoughts on this (good or bad) got to assess it logically
if your scenarios include any types of social and or finacial collapse
I think this could be a very good long term residance

[Plymtom]

Not an altogether bad idea, your reasoning is sound extra floor space can be rigged too with access to scaffolding, you're right and it's probably no accident that churches are built strong ( I know it's to impress too ) often up a bit of a hill ( good for flooding) and a traditional refuge, religion will always be with us whether we have a faith or not, it would be interesting to hear from some clergy preppers if there are any, as to whether they would want to go old school and only let believers in should TSHTF, or maintain the more PC tolerant of one another approach to those of differing faith etc.

[cpslashm]

Used to attend a Victorian church. Tall and impossible to heat.

Another point about old churches - they were built high with tall towers/spires as a form of navigation aid. If you don't want to be noticed......

[Partimehero]

The older churches were built very well. They were built to last and your background will help in any restoration projects you may encounter. They certainly don't build them like they used too.

If secured with heavy doors, mesh covering those potentially large windows and well stocked up with supplies, it could be pretty impregnable. Whatever you opt for just remember to keep it to a minimum as in not drawing attention to yourself. When the poop hits, you don't want masses from all around knocking at your door

[poppypiesdad]

Yes good strong construction , but usually massive window openings , great height but crap to heat , attraction of metal thieves depending on roof construction, an absolute minefield when it comes to converting to a home due to many of them being listed and having to jump through hoops to get what you want . And can be seen from a great distance due to there prominent location in the countryside . I would say you would be better off with a old stone built cottage same strength ,small windows , and hopefully a large garden to cultivate and keep animals

[lonewolf]

the trouble with this(as they found out in "Survivors") was that churches were never meant to be lived in, could be damp if disused and I recall there was a problem with having a fire as no chimney and no where for the smoke to go, also very hard to defend and most churches can be seen for miles as would any lights inside.

[snelo85]

here in Norfolk there are ALOT of churches just in Norwich the saying used to go
and i quote "A pub for everyday and a Church for every weekend"
and here there are a few that were used as battlements
BUT mainly a contact route as from the top of every Tower you can see at least 2 churches
so invading forces would be spotted and the information could be transferred quickly via this system to the City

Also as many around here are falling into disrepair and end up being engulfed by trees and ivys etc they end up blending in (I know of a couple personally)
if looter came a looting in churches here they would leave very empty handed

Also another thing i thought of
the windows are generally very high so not easliy accessible form either side

[grenfell]

I haven't really considered it before despite having worked on the restoration of quite a few churches in my time. I'd echo the comments about heating and living in one although its not uncommon for vestries to have fireplaces. The large interior spaces could be devided up however to make it more habitable.
One thing does occur to me. In times of crisis people do turn to religion so you could find a hoard on your doorstep. What may be a good idea is to look at the redundant church commission who look after churches that are no longer used. One of those may be better than one with a resident vicar and congregation.
One downside perhaps is the graveyard normally surrounding a church. If you are intending to grow your own food many people would be a little squeamish about getting their dinner from land ''fertilized '' by dead human bodies.

[God walker14]

I am in the process of looking at moving out in to the country.
My goal is to achieve it before the end of this year

(I MEAN NO DISRESPECT TO ANYONE WHO MAYBE RELIGIOUS)

BUT at the top of my requirement list is it MUST be local to a church not a modern day church (recently built),
I mean a heavy duty stone and flint construction
the reason being i am a bricky by trade (over 12yrs) and worked primarily on Churches and Norwich Cathedral and the odd barn
When the SHTF it would be a VERY good place to take shelter
as usually the walls are constructed of solid flint stone and mortar and can be upto 6ft thick (and on occasion thicker)
1 maybe 2 points of entry usually with very big sturdy doors
most have some description of a tower for a view point
they are also very good for staying cool in the Heatwaves we occasionally have
and in the winter can be warmed very easily with a few bodies moving around and a fire
not to mention the MASSES of space they have inside for numerous people or storage

anyone else got any thoughts on this (good or bad) got to assess it logically
if your scenarios include any types of social and or finacial collapse
I think this could be a very good long term residance

Like the sound of what your saying bud been thinking of one of these self inflating concrete bunkers

[DundeePrepper]

https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/pro ... exemption/

Gives you the lowdown on planning in England.. can't find anything on Scotland.

IMO a church is a good place to start, you obviously have the skills/knowledge as mentioned above. I would suggest you maybe look for something partially derelict.. Planning may be more lenient to what your doing.