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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
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.
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No cash? No problem! The future of giving is in the app
Cash is losing relevance in society generally; and that presents both a problem and an opportunity for all churches: how can people give during the offering without it? That question led to the creation of Givt – an app designed for church and charity use to allow people to donate in all situations.
COVID-19 has changed the way people interact with the church and has revealed a flaw in the majority of cashless solutions. Givers want to give, not pay, and give regardless of where they are. What is needed is a solution like Givt, which utilises a smart phone app for all donations. It allows people to give while watching an online service, or while sitting in the church building, on their phone – instantly. That allows churches to keep the ‘giving moment’, even when we are all apart.
ISCE rebrands to ISCVE – Institute of Sound, Communications & Visual Engineers
ISCE has renamed and rebranded to ISCVE Ltd - The Institute of Sound, Communications and Visual Engineers.
Recognising the diversity of our members and the markets they operate in, along with the convergence of technologies, the Institute has undertaken this identity and name change to embrace the wider scope, skills and sectors of its members and supporting members.
£240,000 boost for communities as Scottish heritage projects awarded funding
Funding to provide training opportunities and the restoration of historic structures will benefit local communities and economies throughout Scotland.
A historic Tolbooth steeple in Fife, the B-listed former Govanhill Picture House and a traditional skills training programme targeting disadvantaged people in Perth and Kinross are just some of the latest projects set to benefit from funding from Historic Environment Scotland (HES).
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.
By 1850, England had become the first urban industrial nation with over 50 per cent of the population residing in towns and cities. Between 1800 and 1841, Sheffield doubled its population, Manchester tripled and Liverpool went from 80,000 to over 280,000.
Young people shun future visits to heritage attractions over coronavirus fears
Research commissioned by specialist heritage insurer, Ecclesiastical, has revealed young people are less likely to visit heritage attractions in person once the lockdown lifts due to coronavirus fears. However, digital is a revenue opportunity for heritage attractions as two fifths (44%) of young adults who visited a heritage attraction online during lockdown said they would be willing to pay to access these if they were no longer free.
The true cost of an organ for your church
What is the true cost of an organ for your church? Questions to ask your organ company.
At Allen Organs we believe that the true cost of ownership should be considered when purchasing a new organ or considering a rebuild for your church.
Allen is unique in our industry because we do not consider any Allen Organ too old for maintenance. With over 300 Allen Organs over 50 years old now in regular use in the UK we invite all churches to consider not only the purchase price of a new organ or a re-build but also the long-term value for money for your church.
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.
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