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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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Seven times a day I shall sing praise to you, and I shall rise at night to sing your praise
This resolve from the psalms, taken from the sixth century rule of St Benedict, means that Benedictine nuns - such as those at St Cecilia's Abbey on the Isle of Wight - certainly need good lighting in church. When this lighting was in urgent need of replacing they turned to church lighting specialists Anthony J Smith (Glos) Ltd.
Bursar Sr Eustochium explains: "Our church was built in 1907 and we still relied on gas lighting until the 1950's. The original electric lights were apparently OK if you were fortunate enough to sit directly below them, and the fluorescent tubes installed in the 1970's were seen as a great improvement. The strip lights lit up the nuns' choir stalls but anyone declaiming the Word in the centre of choir had to struggle to see the text.
Armitage Construction - 140 years in the construction industry
"We have already started 2014 on a high and we are delighted to be celebrating our 140th anniversary within the construction industry.
Armitage Construction has roots in the industry tracing back to 1874. The Armitage family has an enviable history and reputation throughout the North West of England for delivering high quality construction and development projects to both traditional and contemporary specifications.
Strata Florida Abbey – 850 years of inspiration
This year marks the 850th anniversary of Strata Florida abbey – a monument that’s both admired for its captivating beauty and famed for its historical importance.
Believed to be the resting place of Dafydd ap Gwilym, one of Wales’s best known medieval poets, the site still attracts literature lovers through its majestic carved doorway today. The Ceredigion wonder was once home to Cistercian monks of the Middle Ages.
Rosehill launches a new online shop
Rosehill Furniture Group is pleased to announce the launch of our first online shop. Our E-Shop has been designed to make buying from our wide range of new and existing products easy and secure.
Due to popular demand and positive customer feedback we wanted to provide an online platform to help our customers purchase our contract furniture at times suited to them and from any location across the globe.
Zinc roofing that's right out of the Top Drawer
Described as a 'small but effective company', Chingford-based Top Drawer Zinc Ltd is exactly what it says in its name. The firm, under the direction of founder Tim Boyle, specialises in the supply, re-manufacture and fixing of zinc for roofs and windows.
Says Tim: "Neat installations, neat fixing and attention to detail have always been strong factors in my work throughout the 30-plus years that I have been in this business. Zinc for roofing and facades has been my material of choice since 2009 after completing VMZinc's installation training courses."
Purcell and S T Walker & Duckham join forces in unique collaboration
Purcell and S T Walker & Duckham are pleased to announce a unique collaboration that aims to raise the profile of both architectural practices in the West Midlands. The agreement to share resources, skills and experience will also help them to provide a comprehensive service across key sectors. The aspiration for this collaboration is to facilitate a merger between the two practices.
S T Walker & Duckham is headed by David Duckham and based in Worcester. The practice is best known for their conservation work for clients including the National Trust, English Heritage and Local Authorities.
A practitioners verdict on Apollo ceiling collapse
Initial findings, from an investigation conducted by Westminster City Council into the ceiling collapse at London’s Apollo Theatre in December 2013, have revealed that aged hessian wadding was to blame for a tragedy that left seventy six people injured.
According to two of the UK’s most renowned and award winning specialist plastering experts, the collapse will hopefully lead to improved facility management and vigilance by theatre staff coupled with regular inspections by structural experts.
Accepting the challenge at All Saints, Ockham
When ChurchPA.co.uk were approached by Martin Heijne of bch architects to help with a problematic church, they were glad to accept the challenge.
The problem was that All Saints at Ockham is an 11th century parish church, grade one listed, that needed its first sound system installation.
The brief was for a simple voice reinforcement system, with two tie clip microphones, a fixed lectern microphone plus MP3 record and replay facilities, and the ability to raise the volume of the small choir from the chancel area.
Scottish Laird finds it Ecoeasy!
It’s no easy task draught proofing an 800 year old Scottish castle but incumbent Laird Simon Craufurd believes he’s found a way!
Simon, owner of the the A-Listed Craufurdland Castle, based near Kilmarnock in Ayreshire, took delivery of a number of Ecoease secondary glazing panels in late 2013 and they are already proving their worth and paying their way.
Anelay revives Sculpture Park Chapel
Building restoration specialists William Anelay Ltd has just completed two key phases of restoration work at Yorkshire Sculpture Park’s Grade II* listed St Bartholomew’s Chapel in Wakefield, West Yorkshire.
The initial phase of the project began in August 2013 and ran over a six-month period encompassing masonry, re-roofing, external decorations and groundworks to make the chapel watertight. A second phase was initiated later in the year to provide improvements to lighting, heating and ventilation.
CRE moves on to Manchester
After a successful CRE International at Sandown Park in May - the very last event to be held at this venue - the CRE roadshow moves on to Manchester in October from 8th - 9th October 2014
The exhibition and programme will include:
- A unique exhibition of Christian resources with an anticipated 150+ exhibitors.
- An extensive range of books, music and resources to buy.
- The latest multimedia equipment & expert advice.
- Over 40 practical and resourcing seminars.
- The best in Christian theatre and music.
In fact, no other event provides such a remarkable range of seminars, workshops, theatre and church resources - this event is truly an experience not to be missed.
Church of Our Lady and St Finnan, Glennfinnan
This is a Roman Catholic Church built by E W Pugin in 1873 in an area distinguished by its strong post-Reformation RC presence. It contributes by its setting to the sensitive and important wider visual and historical landscape of Glenfinnan.
Architecturally, it is a competent work by a nationally known firm of architects and is B-listed. Within a dominantly Presbyterian Scotland, Catholic survival / 17th century missionary driven revival were important elements in Lochaber’s historical development.
ALM shares in Brompton Oratory success
Following signs of fixing fatigue, crystallisation and small areas of underside corrosion it was decided to replace the 117-year old lead on the dome of the London Oratory. Using Code 6 on the ribs and Code 7 on the main body of the dome, ALM supplied over 57 tonnes of rolled lead sheet to the project.
To comply with current Standards, sheets and detailing required some alterations, most notably to include high level ventilation. Work was undertaken by craftsmen from Martin (UK) who are approved to Heritage Leadworker status, with the project announced as winner of the Murdoch Awards, the ultimate accolade for leadwork.
ISCEx2014 hits the right note
Record numbers attended the ISCEx2014, the annual exhibition and seminar event for the ISCE (Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers), which proved a big hit at its new venue in Birmingham City Centre on 4 & 5 March.
One exhibitor, Kevin Sherwood, vowed to return after successfully launching a new range of products. Kevin, 2N Product Manager/Field Sales Director of CIE Group, said: “ISCEx2014 was an excellent opportunity for CIE to launch the 2N Telecommunications portfolio of IP Audio streaming devices and IP Intercoms. As a supporting member of the ISCE, this was the perfect chance to show the new range to customers old and new and gather their ideas and comments on the relative new market of Audio over IP.
Chris Topp is the latest member of INTBAU
The INTBAU College of Traditional Practitioners is an elite international professional body for practitioners in traditional urban design, architecture and the building arts who have a sustained output of traditional work.
Membership is limited to practitioners of the highest standard in the academic, professional, artistic, trade, craft and practical activities concerned with building, architecture and urbanism that support the objectives of INTBAU.
Traditional building skills brought to Scottish Parliament
On the 18th March, in the Garden Lobby of the Scottish Parliament in Edinburgh, a number of demonstrations took place to show off traditional building skills and materials. The evening event featured roofing skills demos which were undertaken by Lewis Miller of Compass Roofing Ltd, with slates kindly supplied by SIG Roofing, both companies are members of the National Federation of Roofing Contractors.
The event was sponsored by Nigel Don MSP (Convenor of Cross Party Group in the Scottish Parliament on Construction) and attended by Fiona Hyslop MSP (Cabinet Secretary for Culture and External Affairs), Paul Wheelhouse MSP (Minister for Environment and Climate Change) and a further 16 MSPs. All MSPs visited the roofing stand and spent a considerable time talking to Lewis about the skills and materials for traditional roofing slating in Scotland.
Reworking of an A-Listed Georgian jewel
Smith & Garratt were delighted to be selected as surveyors to coordinate works at Bughtrig near Coldstream, home to the Ramsay family. This A-Listed house, built around 1785 and several times extended, was last reworked at the turn of the 20th century. Art entrepreneur William, succeeding his father, Major General Charles Ramsay, chose to address structural defects, remodel interiors and upgrade heating services and fittings to make a sustainable family home that will endure without major cost for many years.
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