Church case studies

The Collegiate Church of Holy Trinity Tattershall is in active use by its congregation and extended community. The church is also home to almost 600 bats. The bats are used as a visitor attraction, and ways have been found to limit the damage they cause.

In this small medieval church, bats are found in the chancel, the nave and the belfry. While not everyone is happy about the bats, the church remains in regular and active use. Some improvements to the building have also been made and more work is being planned.

This small rural parish church is home to a maternity colony of Natterer’s bats. The bats produce quantities of droppings and in the summer months, prior to any events, everything in the church has to have a good clean. With the help of the local bat group however, the churchwardens manage to cope with the bats.

At this church, bats were discovered in an inaccessible roof void during building works. The ceiling timbers required treating for woodworm and the National Bat Helpline was contacted for free advice. Following a visit by a volunteer bat surveyor, the treatment work could proceed without delays.

A soprano pipistrelle maternity roost returns each summer to this small rural church to give birth to and nurse their young. The church warden and congregation tolerate the bats and have even found ways to use them for teaching children about wildlife.

This remarkable church is home to a maternity colony of serotine bats. When the inside walls of the church needed plastering, and some roof tiles had to be replaced, the National Bat Helpline was contacted and free advice was received on how to ensure the bats would not be affected