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Partnership approach with English Heritage Access Audits for Listed Buildings

Ian Street, MD of About Access explains how they work with old buildings and churches to promote access for all.

Our work for English Heritage demonstrated our expertise in conducting audits of historic buildings – some of them more than 700 years old.

St Paul's marks Disabled Access Day with a series of tours and events

People of all ages and with disabilities of any kind are being encouraged to visit St Paul's this January, as the Cathedral takes part in Disabled Access Day.

On the first day of its kind in the UK, landmarks, venues and attractions, including St Paul's, put on special events and tours for children and adults throughout the day on Saturday 17 January.

Praise for new historic lighting at the Tower of London

The Royal Chapel of St Peter ad Vincula at the Tower of London is an historically important place of worship that is also visited by many tourists. Recently a refurbishment programme was completed. A key element of this project was improving the chapel’s lighting - important not only for its practical and its aesthetic qualities, but to reduce energy usage too.

Heritage lighting specialist Dernier & Hamlyn, working with lighting designer Bruce Kirk of Light Perceptions, produced nine chandeliers that were carefully designed, engineered and manufactured to meet all of the requirements.

Projects highlight range of skills from Design Glass

From their Yorkshire workshop, Design Glass design, build and install all types of decorative glass - from a small front door panel to the largest of stained glass ceilings. From restoration and conservation, to new work - whether modern or traditional - they can accommodate any size of project.

Two very different examples of their work are evident in projects at Durham Castle and Liverpool Library.

ISCE announces seminars for ISCEx2015

With its relocation to Coombe Abbey Hotel in Warwickshire for next year’s Exhibition and Networking Dinner, the ISCE (Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers) has announced a formidable programme of seminars to coincide.

The event, which takes place over two days (March 3-4) with a Networking Dinner as its curtain raiser on day 1 and the exhibition on day 2, continues to expand. “This is one of the reasons we have upgraded the location this year to this luxurious four-star country house hotel,” says Secretariat Manager, Ros Wigmore.

Complex conservation to Grade 1 listed Shropshire church

Acting as principal contractor, Recclesia Ltd successfully completed a highly complex and much celebrated scheme of conservation work to both the masonry and the medieval stained glass of the Chancel at the Grade 1 listed St John the Baptist Church at Kinlet - one of Shropshire's most outstanding church buildings.

Consolidation and repair of a heather-thatched barn

The consolidation and repair of a heather-thatched barn has won both the Regional and National Heritage category of the Constructing Excellence Awards 2014.

The Black Barn at Tow House, is a small heather thatched cruck-framed building of the early 18th century, a rare survivor of a widespread vernacular building type in the North of England where heather thatch was a predominant roofing material in the uplands.

The barn is a rectangular structure about 12.0 x 5.4 metres externally with walls of roughly coursed sandstone 500-600mm thick and standing about 2.0m tall at the eaves. The South East gable also in stone rises steeply to an apex approximately 5.3m from the ground. The North West gable reflects a reduction in length at the beginning of the 20th century and is built in English Garden bond 225mm brickwork toothed into the stone side walls.

Fire Doors in Church and Heritage Buildings

The introduction of The Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 re-emphasised the need for adequate fire safety measures in older buildings and those of special interest.

Already, there was a significant level of awareness that standards of fire compartmentation in Heritage buildings may not be adequate for many varied reasons. Indeed with particular regard to fire doors, English Heritage produced the 1997 guide ‘Timber panelled doors and fire’.

St Marys RC Church in Birmingham gets split zone heating system

St Marys RC Church in Birmingham contacted Manchester based church heating specialists HeatinGlobal with the task of designing a heating system that would involve a split zone between the main church and the church priory rooms.

The church had two Sunday services with an average of 1,200 people attending and so it was important to install a system where comfort conditions could be gained with ease for both the church and the eight fathers living in the church house.

New acoustics at Cathedral House, Huddersfield

At Cathedral House in Huddersfield, ISCE members, St Albans based RK Sound Engineering Ltd were contracted to advise on the acoustic treatment of the main auditorium.

The treatments they specified were adopted and the outcome is that the acoustic performance is entirely in line with the predicted performance and the musicians and users of the hall are very satisfied with the acoustic characteristics.

HeatinGlobal get Doncaster church warmed up for Christmas

The Rev Steven Gardner of All Saints Church in Quarry Lane, Doncaster contacted HeatinGlobal after having the current church boiler shut off by a local gas engineer. The boiler was beyond repair and did require changing, however the previous engineer did try to advise the church that the rest of the system would require changing as any new boiler could not be installed on the old church system.

HeatinGlobal director Damien Bradbury takes up the story: "After sending out one of our own engineers and looking at the system as a whole it was clear that most of the suggestions that had been put to the church were not required and some basic up grades in the boiler room was all that was needed. The old church boiler was stripped down and taken away.

Promoting technical excellence

Any architecturally or acoustically demanding building which requires sound or communication systems needs input from experienced audio specialists to ensure the right products and design input are incorporated into a new or upgraded system.

The Institute of Sound, Communications & Visual Engineers (ISCVE) is a specialist learned society and professional body for sound and communications engineers. Founded in 1948, it is an entirely independent Institute, run by a Council elected by its members. Members maintain a code of conduct in professional activities, embodying high ethical standards and concern for the environmental and sociological impacts of professional activities.

Nearly four decades of maintaining standards

Ecclesiastical & Heritage World BAFRA pic For nearly four decades BAFRA has been ensuring that the heritage of antique furniture can be dealt with by the qualified, experienced and skilled craftsmen who have achieved accredited status within the organisation.

With members situated around the UK they are able to offer a comprehensive service for the restoration and conservation of furniture and wooden artifacts. You can find a restorer near you HERE.

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