Current Issue
Heritage Roofing
Heritage roofing - maintaining our iconic buildings
The UK is home to some of the most iconic buildings in the world, from stunning churches and cathedrals to historic stately homes. Each and every one of these remarkable feats of architecture requires regular maintenance to ensure they remain in the very best condition, allowing them to be enjoyed for generations.
Cathedral Care
Restoration and upkeep of cathedrals
There are some 42 Anglican cathedrals in the UK, not to mention 20 or so Catholic cathedrals. Cathedrals form the most important collection of historic buildings in England. The largest and most ancient are internationally famous, the smallest are usually among the most significant buildings in their region and even the most recent are architectural masterpieces.
Master Craftsmen
Championing our heritage with modern craftsmanship
Twenty years ago, English Heritage (now Historic England) published its first-ever Register of Buildings at Risk across England, which featured nearly 2,000 buildings and monuments that were ‘neglected, broken and unloved’. Recently Historic England was delighted to announce that over two-thirds of those buildings were now safe, in both urban and rural areas right across the country.
Traditional Lime
Lime: it’s better for buildings – and for the environment
It is now fairly well known that cement is not good for old buildings and that lime mortar should be used. But why? What are the advantages and what are the disadvantages? In order to begin to answer those questions it is necessary to understand the nature of traditional building, the process by which buildings used to be built, and how it differs from modern construction, the process by which we build today.
Audio Visual
Audio visual equipment in church buildings
This guidance is issued by the Church Buildings Council under section 55(1)(d) of the Dioceses, Mission and Pastoral Measure 2007. As it is statutory guidance, it must be considered with great care. The standards of good practice set out in the guidance should not be departed from unless the departure is justified by reasons that are spelled out clearly, logically and convincingly.
Read More...
CRE Events
Exhibitors enthuse over the CRE experience
By 4pm on the first day of CRE 24 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, exhibitors Chris and Kim Dunphy had already had so many helpful and detailed conversations with visitors that they were “completely talked out”.
Insurance
You need to ensure that reasonable precautions are in place at your church to keep it safe for those who use it. To do this, you need to think about what might cause harm to people.
You will then need to decide if the precautions already in place are adequate. If they are not, you may need to identify further action to prevent any danger. When done formally, this is known as a risk assessment.
Church Maintenance
Church maintenance and repair: Calendar of Care
Just as prevention is always better than cure, maintenance is preferable to major repairs. But, such repairs may not always be avoidable. Church Care offers a monthly guide in our coming issues Starting in Spring
We can help you understand the common problems and areas that need your special attention, and give you tips for regular maintenance schemes.
Pest Control
Michael Palin warns of pest threat to churches
Michael Palin is supporting the future of the UK’s historic churches and chapels with a voiceover for a new animated film. The 80 second animation, produced for the National Churches Trust, highlights why churches are some of the nation’s best loved buildings.
Town Halls
The history of the great Victorian Town Halls of Northern England
From industrial squalor to civic pride, the story behind some of the most impressive buildings of the North involve a unique mix of economics, grand designs and noble sentiments within communities.
Lead Roofing
Lead is one of the oldest materials in the roofing industry and is still commonly used throughout the world today.
Lead roofing is a traditional roofing method which has been used in the industry for hundreds of years, and is therefore proven to be extremely reliable. Lead roofing, and sand-cast lead, in particular is ideal for old buildings such as churches or historical renovations, whereas milled lead roofing is a mass-produced alternative, used for precision and accuracy in homes and commercial buildings alike.
Lightning Protection
When lightning strikes are you protected against this act of God?
The issue of lightning protection in churches is one that has exercised this publication for many years. In this four-part series of spotlights on the issue we will be revisiting various aspects of the subject, beginning with an overview of current thinking.
SEARCH OUR DIRECTORY
Tidings of HLF good cheer for 11 parks
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has today announced a £1.39m grant¹ for the restoration of Victoria Gardens in Neath, Wales, plus first-round passes² for 10 other historic parks in London, Chester, St Helens, Clydebank, Aberdeenshire, Merthyr Tydfil, Swansea, Belfast and Wolverhampton.
Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the HLF, said:
£9.3m New Year 'hat trick' for historic parks
Three parks in London, Walsall and Devizes are celebrating the beginning of the New Year following confirmed grants totalling £9.3m* from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG). This money from the two Lottery distributors will give a vital boost to plans for these popular local parks.
Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and BIG:
Sleeping giant comes to life
HLF awards £3m to Northern Ireland’s treasured coastal landscape
The Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) has announced today a £3m grant¹ for the spectacular Giant’s Causeway World Heritage Site in Northern Ireland and £3.7m for Liverpool’s pioneering Florence Institute for Boys. In addition, it has given initial support² for projects at Kettle’s Yard in Cambridge, the Transporter Bridge in Middlesbrough, Roman Maryport in West Cumbria and the University Church of St Mary the Virgin in Oxford.
Dame Jenny Abramsky, Chair of the Heritage Lottery Fund, said:
Historic York Catholic Church becomes first UK user of new DRU Kamara heaters
St George’s is an historic 19th century Catholic Church in the ancient city of York. Designed by Charles and Joseph Hansom (of Hansom cab fame), the church was built in 1850 to serve the needs of the large number of Irish immigrants arriving in England at that time to find work in the farms and on railway construction.
St George’s is still a thriving church with a large and cosmopolitan congregation. In common with many other similar period churches, it has had a problem finding effective heating during the long winter months.
Taking Flight with EPL Skylift at the Royal Liver Building
Lavendon Access Services’ Vehicle Mount Division, EPL Skylift, has recently supplied Chester-based company Wasp Ltd, with its largest truck mounted boom, a 72 metre model, for a job at the Royal Liver Building on the banks of the River Mersey in Liverpool.
Preserving history:
Lecture series to highlight the value of built heritage
Robert Gordon University's Scott Sutherland School of Architecture and Built Environment have announced a new lecture mini-series that will focus on the
importance of preserving and working with our built heritage. This will be done by showcasing a number of conservation and regeneration projects currently being undertaken in Scotland and beyond.
Kingdom of Ife: sculptures from West Africa
Sponsored by Santander Additional support provided by The A.G.Leventis Foundation
4 March – 6 June 2010 / Room 35 / Admission charge
Kingdom of Ife: sculptures from West Africa will tell the story of the legendary city of Ife (pronounced ee-feh) through some of the most refined and beautiful sculptures ever to be found in Africa. Ife is today regarded as the spiritual heartland of the Yoruba people living in Nigeria, the Republic of Benin and their many descendants around the world. The exhibition will feature nearly 100 superb pieces of Ife sculpture, most of which have never been seen in the UK before, and have been drawn almost entirely from the magnificent collections of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Nigeria. The British Museum is planning a series of Africa-related events, activities and displays to coincide with the 50th anniversary of African Independence celebrations in 2010
The BBC and British Museum announce ‘A History of the World’
A unique and unprecedented partnership focusing on world history for 2010
The BBC and the British Museum have joined forces in an original and unprecedented public service partnership, focusing on world history. At its heart is a landmark series on BBC Radio 4, ‘A History of the World in 100 Objects’ which will broadcast from 18 January 2010.
Fra Angelico to Leonardo: Italian Renaissance drawings
The BP Special Exhibition
22 April – 25 July 2010 / Reading Room / Admission charge
This major exhibition, supported by BP, will bring together the finest group of Italian Renaissance drawings to be seen in this country for over seventy years. Drawn from the two foremost collections in the field, the Gabinetto Disegni e Stampe Uffizi in Florence and the British Museum, the display will chart the increasing importance of drawing during the period between 1400 and 1510, featuring 100 works by amongst others Fra Angelico, Jacopo and Gentile Bellini, Botticelli, Carpaccio, Leonardo da Vinci, Filippo Lippi, Mantegna, Michelangelo, Titian and Verrocchio. In addition, infrared reflectography and other non-invasive scientific analysis of the works will give fresh insights into the techniques and creative thinking of Renaissance artists as they experimented with a freedom not always apparent in their finished works
Henry VIII's Window Sheds Light On His Life On The Day He Died
- Major New Cultural Venue in Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site Moves Closer to Opening -
29 January 2010: A window from the Royal Tudor Palace of King Henry VIII was reinstalled on the site of his famous palace on the exact day Henry died, 463 years ago on 28 January 1547. The window, reconstructed from stonework excavated on the site of Tudor Palace is one of the unique exhibits in Discover Greenwich at The Old Royal Naval College, a new £6m contemporary cultural venue exploring the history of the area, opening on 23 March 2010. [Link to pictures below]. The site of King Henry VIII’s Greenwich Palace lies under the Old Royal Naval College.
Leave Your Historic Environment to the Experts
The IHBC www.ihbc.org.uk is the professional body for building conservation practitioners and historic environment experts working in England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales, with connections to the Republic of Ireland. The Institute exists to establish, develop and maintain the highest standards of conservation practice, to support the effective protection and enhancement of the historic environment, and to promote heritage-led regeneration and access to the historic environment for all.
British Organ Builders
Martin Goetze & Dominic Gwynn
Martin Goetze and Dominic Gwynn is a firm of six craftsmen dedicated to the production of pipe organs of high quality in classical styles. There are three partners, Martin, Dominic and Edward Bennett, and usually four other craftsmen. All three partners are full time organbuilders. Generally speaking Martin and Dominic alternate responsibility for the design, supervision and finishing of each project, though the advantage of a small firm with three committed and experienced partners is that much of the responsibility is shared.
Brick Development Association
Brick is one of the oldest building materials and dates back to the beginning of civilisation. We represent the nations leading clay brick and paver manufacturers and are responsible for promoting the contribution that brick makes to the places and spaces that people live and work in today.
Volunteers return in CSR scheme
For the second year running, volunteers from construction and management consultant Turner & Townsend returned to Shandy Hall in Coxwold, North Yorkshire, to carry out maintenance and decoration of the exterior of the 18th-century parsonage as part of the company’s corporate social responsibility (CSR) scheme.
Baroness Andrews named as Bruce-Lockhart's successor
Culture Secretary Ben Bradshaw has announced the appointment of Baroness Kay Andrews as the new Chair of English Heritage. Baroness Andrews was formerly Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government.
Her appointment followed an open competition under full Nolan procedures earlier in the year and will run for four years from 27 July.
Wollaton restoration is EM Project of the Year
Purcell Miller Tritton has won the RICS East Midlands Project of the Year award for its work on the restoration of Wollaton Hall in Nottingham, one of the finest Tudor houses in the country and the base for the city council’s Natural History Museum.
Museum start marks Burns anniversary
The 250th anniversary of the birth of Robert Burns is being celebrated across Scotland, with 2009 also being designated the Year of Homecoming.
In Burns’s birthplace of Alloway, in Ayrshire, the anniversary has marked the start of a long-anticipated project to build a brand new Burns Museum to house the most important collection of the poet’s life and work.
VISIT OUR ASSOCIATED SITES
