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.
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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
Live Streaming now available from Creative Audio Visual Solutions
Live Streaming, especially during the recent Covid-19 Coronavirus pandemic, is a vital means for churches to keep communicating to their congregation and the wider world.
Urban Edge submits plans to create visitor destination and education centre within the grounds of historic Harlaxton Manor
Urban Edge Architecture has submitted a planning application to South Kesteven District Council on behalf of Harlaxton College for the restoration of the disused Walled Garden at the historic Harlaxton Manor, near Grantham, to create a stunning and sustainable visitor attraction and educational experience.
Dropping knowledge on a delicate issue
All of us have seen a fine building unhelpfully adorned with pigeon food in its (ahem) processed form. Perhaps we assume this is an issue of unsightliness and nothing more, but bird droppings create a host of problems from disease to corrosion and more, especially for heritage buildings.
Rochdale Town Hall restoration project
Rochdale Town Hall is widely-regarded as one of the UK’s finest examples of Victorian gothic architecture. The Grade-I listed building was designed by William Crossland and opened in 1871 as a symbol of the town’s industrial standing in the textiles trade. According to Historic England, its ornate stylings are rivalled only by the Palace of Westminster.
Rochdale shops given colourful facelift as part of major heritage project
A row of shops in Rochdale town centre has been given a new lease of life thanks to a series of colourful, Victorian-style facelifts.
The South Parade and Drake Street Property Improvement Scheme, a collaboration between Rochdale Borough Council and Historic England, has transformed 12 shops with a bright new look.
Variety of external lighting shows the splendour of Lincoln Cathedral
Standing tall over the city, Lincoln Cathedral is a magnificent and iconic international landmark, and one of Britain’s most spectacular pieces of architecture. Once admired as the tallest building in the world, the spire at Lincoln Cathedral was an impressive feat of engineering, reaching a remarkable 525 feet before the central spire collapsed in 1548, nearly 250 years after its completion, and was never replaced.
Conservation of historic library columns carried out by leading specialists
Extensive repair, restoration and replacement work on the Grade One-listed Laudian Library extension in the Canterbury Quadrangle of St John’s College, Oxford is being carried out by Szerelmey, working alongside Beard Construction and Wright and Wright Architects. It follows the successful delivery of a package of works to create a new library and study centre, with artwork walls and interior and exterior paving which was completed by Szerelmey in 2019. The Canterbury Quadrangle is one of the most famous, historic and beautiful of Oxford’s buildings.
'Common Ground in Sacred Space' - restoration project keeps Newcastle Cathedral at the heart of city life
Once a guiding light for ships sailing up the River Tyne, this hill-top, metropolitan Cathedral represents, in stone and glass, over seven centuries of Newcastle’s development.
Today, the completed “Common Ground in Sacred Space” project aims to continue Newcastle Cathedral’s place at the heart of modern city life, with renewed purpose to that iconic lantern tower’s ancient role as a beckoning welcome for the city and its people.
All Saints Church, Boyne Hill: conservation of the victorian tiled floor
Cliveden Conservation carried out the sensitive repair of the floor in accordance with Street’s original design.
The tiled floor at All Saints Church, designed by G E Street in 1857, had become deteriorated and unsafe due to being laid on a defective substrate. Quantity surveyors Sawyer and Fisher and architect Roderick Maclellan, recommended Cliveden Conservation to carry out the sensitive repair of the floor in accordance with Street’s original design.
York Handmade project nominated for prestigious Stirling Prize
One of the York Handmade Brick Company’s most acclaimed projects has been shortlisted in the prestigious 2022 RIBA Stirling Prize.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, provided more than 300,000 bricks for the magnificent new Magdalene College Library at Cambridge University.
The library is one of six projects in line for this year’s Stirling Prize, the highest accolade in architecture. It is awarded for the UK’s best new building of the past 12 months.
Pershore Abbey tower: a fitting tribute for the Jubilee
Pershore Abbey was one of the largest medieval abbeys in Britain – even larger than Worcester Cathedral – before it was part destroyed in the Reformation. The tower was added in 1350 and has stood as a beacon which can be seen for several miles across the district.
Until recently the tower has externally been bathed in white light during the hours of darkness. However, a generous donation from The Friends of Pershore Abbey has enabled a new state-of-the-art colour change LED floodlighting system to be installed by lighting specialists Anthony J Smith(Glos) Ltd. It was first used over the Jubilee weekend with the tower being illuminated in red, white and blue which cycled through the colours every 15 seconds.
D C Blacksmiths - family business forges ahead
D C Blacksmiths are specialists in the conservation, restoration and reproduction of period architectural wrought iron and designers of new and contemporary styles of forged metalwork, using traditional blacksmithing techniques and jointing methods.
York Handmade short-listed for two awards at brick oscars
The York Handmade Brick Company, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the country, has been shortlisted in two categories in the prestigious 2022 Brick Awards.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, in North Yorkshire, was short-listed in the Individual Housing and the Refurbishment categories.
York Handmade provided the bricks for Green Acres (pictured right), a stunning new detached house in Effingham in Surrey, and for Holy Trinity Church in the heart of Sunderland.
Lambeth Palace’s new national library and archive set to open later this year
Lambeth Palace’s newly-built £23.5 million national library and archive is due to open later this year with many of the collections having already moved into the sustainably-designed building.
Lambeth Palace Library in London contains an “unrivalled collection” of books and manuscripts that document over 1000 years of ecclesiastical and cultural life in the UK.
New address - a move for the good
Conservation by Design are excited to announce that the company's sales office, warehouse, and dispatch have successfully relocated and are now fully operational.
Their new address is CXD International, Unit 14, Crowhill Farm, Ravensden Road, Wilden, Bedford MK44 2QS. Their phone number and email address will remain the same: 01234 846300 and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Tron Kirk to re-open to the public
The City of Edinburgh Council has handed the keys of the Tron Kirk on Edinburgh’s Royal Mile to Scottish Historic Buildings Trust (SHBT) as the new custodians of the building. The council selected SHBT as its preferred partner to restore the Tron in 2021 and the charity has now signed a 5-year lease in an agreement that will see it take on the management role of the building as it develops the restoration project. This will convert to a 125-year lease when the capital project is ready to begin.
York Handmade plays pivotal role in stunning Surrey house
The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has played a significant role in a stunning Surrey house.
The Easingwold-based firm, one of the leading independent brick-makers in the country, has supplied specially-manufactured bricks for a magnificent home in Esher.
The house has already been featured on the front cover of the June edition of Build It magazine, one of the prime publications for the self-build housing sector.
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