22 Jul 2025
Rev Peter Crumpler, Associate Minister at St Paul’s Church in Fleetville, explains why it’s important to celebrate our rich local history…
I’ve been a big fan of the St Albans Times, and all that it has added to the local media scene since its launch in February 2023.
But it reached new heights the other week with the major feature on the history of its long-established rival, celebrating the Herts Advertiser’s 170th anniversary. Some may have called the article cheeky, or maybe provocative.
For myself, I thought it was important that the milestone was being marked – and with more space and prominence than today’s Herts Advertiser might be able to devote to the commemoration.
I felt much the same way this week when I was shown a brochure from the Campfield Press, dating from the 1940s. The St Albans printing works, owned by the Salvation Army, produced all their publications, including their big circulation ‘War Cry’ for many years until its closure in 1991.
It was one of the many printing businesses that gave Fleetville – from Fleet Street – its name.
In those, long pre-digital days, getting into print was a major operation requiring heavy machinery, skilled operators and much patience.
The brochure explained “The process is more intricate than many people imagine. A letter to the local newspaper has a direct link with the forests of Scandinavia or Canada, while the smallest handbill owes a debt to the great artists who, through the centuries, have designed the letters we scan so swiftly.”
Both the feature on the history of local journalism, and the Campfield Press brochure were a reminder that history matters, and especially the history on our doorstep. It explains how our community got to be the way it is today.
St Albans Cathedral and many of the district’s churches are full of history. Many go back centuries, and each tells the story of the communities they are seeking to serve. There are also many new churches and other places of worship that have grown up recently and add to the richness of our shared life.
But the churches’ relationship with the media hasn’t always been easy. In the history of the Herts Advertiser, one journalist recalled that in the 1930s, “Church calls provided the opportunity each week to visit the clergy of all denominations for tit-bits of church news.
“Many were the interesting and lively discussions that took place, and some even with the Bishop himself.”
“To my lasting memory, I remain accused by the Reverend Kirk Bryce of having altered the Word of God in reporting one of his sermons!”
Those days are long behind us with, today, few journalists or church ministers able to devote time to developing that relationship. And that’s a shame.
New research has just shown that negative coverage of the church outweighs the positive.
Hardly a shock, especially when the media has – rightly and with justification – highlighted a series of abuse cases within the church.
But often churches and other faith groups are not so good at talking about the positive grassroots work that they do week in, week out, running youth activities, children’s groups, drop-ins and meals for older people, debt counselling, food banks and much more. All this, in addition to hosting a wide range of community events and activities, and – of course – providing services of worship, weddings, christenings, funerals and more.
The recent research also showed that people, especially high-profile believers, talking openly about their faith did win positive coverage for Christianity. So maybe that’s an encouragement to anyone with a lively faith.
Personally, I think that, over time, organisations tend to get the coverage they deserve. And, from Manchester United to Buckingham Palace, they all wished they could win more positive headlines.
In a social media world, many have taken to running their own communications, to tell their own stories, seeking to bypass or augment the mainstream media’s coverage. The Church of England, for example, has invested much in digital communications in recent years.
But publications like the St Albans Times have an important role to play.
They are a vital focus for community conversation, for engagement across our social media silos, where the information we see is driven by the algorithms designed by tech companies across the Atlantic.
The churches, and other community groups can play their part by helping to keep conversations going. By bringing together people of all ages, types and backgrounds.
Churches are called to proclaim faith, and to be community hubs, helping to write the modern-day history of our district… and contributing to a thriving future, together.
