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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
After the Midlands, onward to Milton Keynes
"CRE Midlands reminded me of the giddy days when it first began – the venue was packed with exhibitors and visitors and there was a busy atmosphere. The whole thing looked great."
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.
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Lightning protection: the new standard explained
In May Historic England began a series of webinars aimed at providing technical guidance for owners and operators of historic buildings, as well as contractors and heritage professionals. Tagged as Technical Tuesdays, the webinars are presented by senior members of Historic England’s technical conservation team.
Each Tuesday in the week sees a webinar on a theme within a particular area of expertise. On 21 July the theme was Lightning Protection. It was presented by Historic England senior building services engineer Geraldine O’Farrell and the team leader of building services and principal engineer, Caroline Cattini.
Renovation completed against the elements
Houghtons of York were appointed as main contractor for an interesting renovation project on the west coast of Scotland. Cul Na Shee, a Landmark Trust property is located in the small village of Saddell, Kintyre, about a 25 minute drive from Campbletown. The only access is through a narrow archway at Saddell Castle followed by a rough track, and finally a 60m walk along a picturesque gravel beach.
While this makes for a lovely approach to the property it made delivery of materials to site a rather tricky process, with large delivery trucks needing to be unloaded into a small van for the track before being carried by hand along the beach.
Rinzaffo MGN – salt resistant lime scratch coat, available from Core Conservation
One of the unique products from Core Conservation is RINZAFFO MGN, a plaster developed in 1980 in Venice to tackle the problem of capillary rising damp, penetrating damp and salts - however its origins stretch back to ancient Roman times.
It is a breathable salt resistant lime scratch coat, which protects subsequent plaster layers from the destructive effect of salts. Because it is both waterproof and breathable in the same time, it is suitable for a number of specialist applications such as:
Heritage bodies set out election Manifesto
Ahead of the next UK general election, the Heritage Alliance – a coalition of 200 heritage organisations in England – has published its 2023 Heritage Manifesto, demonstrating how heritage provides solutions to a range of public policy challenges and setting out a vision for the sector under the next term of government.
New annexe provides opportunity for an AV upgrade
St Wilfrid’s Church in Grappenhall – a village near to Warrington, Cheshire – is designated as a Grade One-listed building. Built in red sandstone, the church dates from the earlier part of the 12th century.
In August 2020 building work was started on an annexe on the hidden side of the church, with a flexible welcome/discovery room, refreshment area, service and storage area with toilets. As part of the scheme the church required the incorporation of audio-visual facilities in the annexe and major AV improvements within the church building. Following a selection process Richard King Systems were selected as the AV specialists for the scheme.
Health and safety at your heritage property during the pandemic
The Government, in partnership with Historic England, has issued guidance for people who work or volunteer in heritage locations, to help them understand how to work safely and keep customers and visitors safe during the COVID-19 pandemic.
This guidance, which has been produced in consultation with English Heritage, the Church of England, and the Health and Safety Executive, among other contributors, provides a practical framework to help organisations continue, or restart, their operations during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Every church needs one of these…bespoke hand sanitiser stations
In a sign of the times a local church recently approached Fullers Finer Furniture of Weston-super-Mare in connection with the provision of purpose-built hand sanitiser stations. The church was in the process of undertaking risk assessments to take into account the additional precautions necessary to enable the building to be Covid secure and safely re-opened, in due course, for gathered worship.
Fullers Finer Furniture is a well-known company specialising in the manufacture of bespoke furniture for places of worship, education and the like.
Ellis and Co repair St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham
Ellis and Co repaired and redecorated this late 1800's Grade II listed church in Cheltenham.
The church of St Gregory the Great is a Grade II listed building consecrated in 1875 after a mid- 1800’s rebuild. Ellis and Co were commissioned as principle contractor to extensively repair and redecorate the interior of the building. Including revealing historic wall paintings.
New state of the art visitor centre is a step closer for Lincoln Cathedral
Another major phase of works to Lincoln Cathedral as part of the £16.5m Connected project, of which £12.4m is funded by The National Lottery, is now complete.
Since ground was broken back in October 2018 by building contractor William Birch & Sons, the Cathedral and the surrounding close have seen considerable conservation and renovation works taking place.
Care and maintenance of rainwater goods
'Rainwater goods' is a term that covers a variety of different means of shedding rainwater away from a building. Most commonly seen as attached iron guttering, rainwater goods can also be incorporated, unseen, into the building’s fabric, behind parapets and within walls.
The need to shed rainwater away from the walls has been recognized for a long time. Medieval churches are famed for their decorative gargoyles and impressive spouts, simple yet effective ways of doing the job. However, in a modern urban setting these means of draining a roof would be rather hazardous for passers-by and churches are more commonly seen with guttering, chutes and downpipes.
York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship to hold 'Second Tuesday Talks'
The YCCC is running a free series of ‘Second Tuesday Talks’. These informal talks will be held via Zoom at 19:00 on the second Tuesday of each month, from July to September.
The talks will vary slightly in format, but each event will be around one hour long and provide ample time for audience questions. We hope that you will take the opportunity to hear these fascinating talks, and we welcome suggestions for future topics.
Pipe organ restoration reveals original glazier
J Goodwin Stained Glass recently had the privilege of playing a small role in the restoration of the historically significant pipe organ of All Saints Church in Roos, Yorkshire.
The organ was built by Karl Christian Reiter of Hull in 1881, and is one of only two known to survive in an unmodified condition. The masonary repairs and timber work were carried out by F Kemp & Son of Skirlaugh, the organ was expertly restored and rebuilt by Harrogate-based Peter Wood & Son, and the front pipes were beautifully reinstated to their original design using colour matched paint by John McWilliams, the church warden.
How to secure your heritage building
Towards the end of 2016, following several years of steady decline, the price of metal, and in particular lead and copper, showed an upturn. This meant that protected heritage sites and buildings were placed at an increased risk of metal theft.
In response the Home Office announced it would be reviewing the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013, which it duly carried out, with contributions from UK Policing, The Heritage Alliance, and British Metals Recycling Association among others.
AABC: The Register of Architects Accredited in Building Conservation - benefitting clients and the structures they are responsible for
In recent years the Climate Crisis has been throwing new light on the benefits of refurbishing historic buildings. Extending the life of a historic building offers benefits over new construction in terms of embodied energy and waste. The thoughtful upgrade of a historic building by a competent architect can also reduce operational energy costs, a fact that clients and building users are increasingly aware of. However, in the hands of an architect inexperienced in working with sensitive historic buildings there is also the danger that inappropriate or damaging interventions may be made, putting clients and the structures they are responsible for at risk. It stands to reason that now, more than ever, the accreditation of Architects in Building Conservation plays an important part in linking clients with suitably skilled architects.
Sensitive adaptation maintains the beauty of Grade One medieval treasure
A beautiful piece of precious history, such as a church building, is so much better when it can be used today. Its colours and textures can be felt, evoking a sense of history so much richer than just walking through it as a monument.
The lovely Grade One-listed St Mary’s Church in Purton, Wiltshire, is built in Cotswold stone and dates from the 13th century. Its twisted ribbed roof structure and medieval paintings reflect the soft colours of its ancient lime plaster and its crooked pillars and limestone arches tell of the hands that crafted them.
Natural Zinc – now in stock – for next day delivery
Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading stockist and online retailer of metal rainwater systems, has once again responded to the demand for its Natural Zinc Rainwater System by adding it to the huge ranges it stocks in its two warehouses in Swindon, for next day delivery to mainland UK addresses.
The Natural Zinc was only added to website, originally with a 15day leadtime, in April. The response has been such a success that they recognised the value to customer of having a shorter leadtime and so will begin stocking the range, in 115mm half-round profile gutter and 80mm diameter round downpipe, from the 5th July 2020.
Finding professional help from conservation specialists, including architects
There are a number of professions that can help you plan and carry out work to an old building. Going it alone without the help of experienced and qualified professionals in order to save money often proves to be a false economy. It's worth thinking about what help will benefit your project early on.
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