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
Wallasey Jubilee Centre gets new heating system
The Jubilee Centre contacted church heating specialists HeatinGlobal Ltd to undertake the task of replacing the whole church heating system. The current church heating system had high running cost and was taking almost 24hrs to heat the church.
The current church boilers were past their time and a more energy efficient system was chosen to heat the church. The church currently had old cast iron radiators that were slow to warm up and once they had reached temperature they had a tendency to burn the children in church.
National Mining Memorial Centre shortlisted for two awards
A new memorial centre to commemorate the sacrifices made by those involved in Scotland’s coal mining industry is shortlisted for two design awards. The project, completed by Purcell’s Edinburgh studio, is in the running for a Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) Award as well as an Edinburgh Architectural Association (EAA) Award in the Small Projects category.
The National Mining Memorial Centre at the National Mining Museum Scotland is located just nine miles from Edinburgh at the Lady Victoria Colliery, Newtongrange.
Dernier & Hamlyn develops homegrown LED solution for new British brasserie
The recently opened Holborn Dining Room at Rosewood London offers a menu of British classics with a twist. Its lighting, which was manufactured by Dernier & Hamlyn, complements this philosophy with six eye catching blackened steel oval chandeliers, some 7m long. However their simple lines are not only a discreet hiding place for the emergency lighting that has been fitted to the light fittings’ cross section bars, they are also housing 500 120mm LED globe lamps custom made to meet the exacting aesthetic and energy usage brief from the restaurant’s designers Martin Brudnizki Design Studio.
Due to the size of the chandeliers they each have a sub frame adding to the complexity of the manufacturing process which required mixed construction methods incorporating both laser cutting and making sections by hand.
Full sound and visual system for Somerton St Michael and All Angels Church
The church of St Michael and All Angels is reputed to be an abbey church, and has existed adjacent to the market square in the old county town of Somerton, since circa 1100. So it was doubtless with some trepidation, that the PCC embarked on a major refurbishment for the church interior.
This involved replacing the floor and heating systems, rewiring and roof cleaning, a glass partition door for the south transept and a comprehensive sound system with video distribution to facilitate more flexible use of the building. API Communications were contracted to provide a full sound and visual system to meet all needs of the church.
Online rainwater system supplier offers substantial discounts off cast iron
Don’t miss Rainclear Systems’ offer on cast iron rainwater products over the month of March. The Wiltshire based online retailer, the UK’s largest stockist and distributor of metal rainwater products, is offering a significant 11% extra off all online orders of cast iron guttering, downpipes and fittings during the month.
The company is well known for its vast and unrivalled stock of cast iron products and the team’s ability to offer great technical support, fast quotation turnaround and knowledgeable assistance when matching unusual items.
Chester Cathedral - opening of Cathedral at Height visitor attraction
Are you ready to discover the secrets of the tower? In Spring 2014, Chester Cathedral will be inviting visitors to take a 900 year journey through locked doors and hidden rooms. Cathedral at Height, a new visitor attraction for Chester, has something for everyone - breathtaking views, medieval mysteries, ancient bells and a defeated king.
The Cathedral at Height attraction will allow visitors to take a guided tour of some of the cathedral’s ‘secret spaces’, includin g the old bell ringing chamber and the shallow arched galleries above the Nave. The tour includes 216 steps and a series of winding spiral staircases and takes in a breathtaking view of the interior of the building from the east gallery. It culminates at the top of the cathedral’s central tower with an open air panorama that reveals one city, two nations and five counties.
Elgan Jones awarded prestigious historic buildings Scholarship
Architect Elgan Jones from Purcell has been awarded this year’s Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB) Lethaby Scholarship. The 27-year-old is one of just three building professionals selected from applicants across the UK to be awarded this prestigious scholarship.
The SPAB Lethaby Scholarship aims to provide young architects, surveyors and engineers with both technical experience and a philosophical approach to the repair of old buildings. The intensive nine month Scholarship programme is considered by many in the field to be the best form of conservation training available. The first six months are spent travelling all over the country to observe traditional building techniques and visit structures of every age, size and style from cathedrals to garden grottoes. The programme is very hands-on allowing Scholars the opportunity to try out specialist craftwork such as timber framing, masonry, lime pointing and blacksmithing. The final three months allow the Scholars to develop their personal interests in the crafts and allied arts associated with the UK’s great country houses.
The Clink Restaurant opens at HMP Brixton
A Grade II listed building at Brixton Prison has been converted into a high end restaurant run by some of its prisoners. Architects Purcell secured planning and listed building consent for the scheme last year and the newly refurbished building officially opened to the public on 27th February 2014.
The new Clink restaurant is situated in the centre of Brixton prison in the Grade II listed former Governors House. The three-story building has been fully refurbished and its ground floor now accommodates a 100 seat restaurant linked to a new professional kitchen in an adjacent building, a private dining area seating up to 24 guests and a meeting room for up to 10 delegates.
Case study: Wray Castle, Cumbria
The company was commissioned by Historic Property Restoration Limited (HPR) which, itself, was commissioned by The National Trust, owners of the magnificent property, in conjunction with the architect to improve & protect the external fabric of the castle.
Their objectives were to refurbish the external roof areas to the castle particularly focusing on areas of water ingress, various parapets & stone projections.
To replace and update the lead on the roof of the roof of the castle and encapsulating the stone slate, so that it complemented the fabric of the building.
ALM supplies copper for Bomber Command Memorial roof
Liam O’Connor’s design of the £6 million Bomber Command Memorial in Green Park has understandably attracted significant media attention. The 2.7 metre-tall sculpture depicting a Lancaster aircrew is housed in a neo-classical structure, the copper roof of which was fabricated from material supplied by ALM Hard Metals of Hoddesdon.
Its spokesman Andy Denham commented, “This is just one of a number of heritage projects for which ALM has supplied metals from traditional lead sheet to zinc to specialist contractor Martin UK Ltd.
Top museums success for heritage and cultural experts Focus Consultants
The company has worked on many high-profile museums across the UK, including the National Army Museum in Chelsea and the Royal Albert Memorial Museum, Exeter, which was named UK museum of the year in 2012 by the Art Fund charity.
Now four museums that Focus has worked with or is currently involved in have been named on a top 20 list of free family friendly museums recommended to visit by The Guardian.
They are the V&A Museum of Childhood in London, St Fagans National History Museum in Cardiff, Coventry Transport Museum and Herbert Art Gallery and Museum in Coventry.
Oxford University Museum of Natural History Reopens to the Public
Major works to repair leaks in the glass roof and refresh the interiors of the Oxford University Museum of Natural History have been successfully concluded by regional construction company Beard and architects Purcell.
The museum houses the University of Oxford’s scientific collections of zoological, entomological and geological specimens. The Grade I-listed building has been a landmark tourist attraction and centre of learning ever since it first opened in 1860. It is also renowned as the location of the famous Huxley-Wilberforce debate on Darwin’s then recently published theories of evolution by natural selection.
Insulead Frameless Double Glazing installed at Hetton Methodist Church
Built in 1859 Hetton Methodist church comes under the control of North Yorkshire Moors National Park. A Grade Two listed building it is a traditionally constructed small stone chapel on one level with stone and mullion type windows.
Originally glazed with obscured glass diamond quarries the glazing had been replaced by single glazed “Arctic” type glass that was now in poor repair having cracked with the expansion and contraction of the stone work – this glass had been split into horizontal panes using steel T section steel bar.
ISCE members take advantage of networking and new product opportunities at ISCEX 2014
With less than three weeks to go until the ISCE (Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers) ISCEx2014 Exhibition and Networking Dinner in Birmingham, interest is running at a near unprecedented high.
These Shropshire folk’s sound knowledge travels far and wide
The design, installation and support of complete audio, lighting and control systems is the specialism of Richard King Systems, who provide solutions to churches and other public buildings across the Midlands, North West and Wales.
What the Listed Property Show has to offer you this weekend
If you own, or are thinking of buying a listed building, your first port of call should be The Listed Property Show!
The Listed Property Show brings together the industry's best - all under one roof at London's Olympia - and there's no other event like it. The event includes architects, planners, window and door manufacturers, craftsman and "caring" builders as well as information about planning, the law, insurance, VAT, grants, mortgages, reclaimed materials etc.
Historic Hebridean Abbey selects Advanced
Providing a fire system for the most sacred site in Scotland was always going to be a challenge, especially considering the remoteness of its historic location, but for the custodians of Iona Abbey global fire systems manufacturer Advanced was the only choice.
Located on the Scottish island of Iona, south west of the Isle of Mull, the Abbey is at the heart of a globally important religious centre, founded in 564AD by St Columba who brought early Christianity from Ireland to Great Britain.
VISIT OUR ASSOCIATED SITES
