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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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The ‘family GP’ for your church
What are Quinquennial Inspection Reports?
Under the Inspection of Churches Measure 1955, as amended by the Care of Churches and Ecclesiastical Jurisdiction Measure 1991, all consecrated buildings of the Church of England must by law be inspected once in every five years by a registered architect or chartered building surveyor (the ‘Quinquennial Inspector’ or QI) who is approved by the Diocesan Advisory Committee (DAC). Most other denominations and many secular organisations which are responsible for historic buildings now adopt a similar approach to inspections.
Local joinery company awarded prestigious contract at Flaxmill
Morris Joinery has been awarded a coveted commission from Historic England to restore and replace a total of 39 windows at the town’s historic Flaxmill Maltings, known as the grandparent of the modern skyscraper.
Four of the original 4ft square windows at Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings are to be carefully restored by hand with a further 35 other replicas hand crafted to complete this element of the major refurbishment project.
All the windows will be made from wood with sills crafted from English oak and frame and casements in Douglas Fir with modern thermal requirements included to ensure the new windows are ‘future-fit’.
York Handmade helps to restore iconic Scottish church to its former glory
The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has played a crucial role in the restoration of one of Scotland’s most iconic churches.
York Handmade, based at Alne, near Easingwold, has provided 12,000 specially-made bricks for St Bride’s Church in East Kilbride, near Glasgow.
St Brides was designed by the celebrated architect, Professor Andy MacMillan, whose Scottish practice Gillespie Kidd & Coia worked extensively on ecclesiastical buildings from the 1950s through to the 1990s.
Restoration work at Shrewsbury's historic Flaxmill Maltings
Historic England took leadership of the Shrewsbury Flaxmill Maltings project in March 2014. The Department for Communities and Local Government awarded £1,169,000 of funding through the European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) towards a Stage One, £2.5m, project to kick-start regeneration. Historic England provided the balance of the funds.
Completed work - Stage 1:
The Oice and Stables have been converted for use by the Friends of the Flaxmill Maltings as an interactive visitor centre and education facility The 1950's grain silo has been demolished, providing further external space for cultural, interpretation and public use. This added to work previously carried out by Shropshire Council to clear derelict modern buildings from the site.
Britain’s oldest brewery benefits from aluminium rainwater systems
The Faversham Brewery, the oldest working brewery in the UK, recently undertook a restoration project to restore their Brew House and enhance the key architectural features that had been lost, including the original cast iron gutters. Provided by Marley Alutec, the Faversham Brewery’s rainwater system replicates the original Victorian aesthetic, whilst enjoying all the benefits of marine grade aluminium.
Shepherd Neame is Britain's oldest brewer - and while 1698 is the Brewery's official founding date, there is clear evidence that its heritage pre-dates even this period. Located in Kent, beer production has taken place on this site for centuries and whilst Shepherd Neame’s dedication to brewing great beer has never wavered, the Victorian brew house was in need of restoration.
Ecclesiastical Insurance partners with The Prince’s Foundation to preserve heritage skills for future generations
Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical is supporting The Prince’s Foundation in its bid to prevent specialist trade skills disappearing.
Ecclesiastical, the leading insurer of Grade 1 listed buildings in the UK, has pledged £225,000 to The Prince’s Foundation over the next three years to enable 36 students to take part in the charity’s Building Craft Programme (BCP).
The Prince’s Foundation established the course to help preserve valuable crafts skills, which are gradually being lost as the average age of workers in the historic buildings sector approaches retirement age.
Martin-Brooks showcases skills at heritage day
Sheffield’s Martin-Brooks has joined forces with fellow heritage building experts to share the unique work it is undertaking at a North Lincolnshire church with next generation roofers.
The specialist firm played an integral role in a heritage skills day, held at Holy Trinity Church in Messingham, to provide awareness and training for apprentices and young site operatives.
Home Farm in Suffolk restored to former glory
Home Farmhouse in north-west Suffolk is a two storey timber and attic framed house. The original part of the house dates to 1325 and can be attributed to a St Cross family called Collebells. Indeed Collebells was the original name of the house and only became Home Farm 200 years later. Originally a high-status Yeomans’ house it gradually expanded and became a large dairy farm sometime in the 16th century.
Safe and cost effective visual inspection at height
Compared with traditional methods, Chichester-based RTF Imaging can provide faster, safer and more cost effective methods of visual inspection at height, reducing the need to send human operatives into dangerous and inhospitable places.
They serve the domestic, commercial and industrial sectors, specialising in the close inspection of hard to reach places, and are now increasingly being asked to employ their services on ecclesiastical and heritage properties where minimal disruption to the building fabric is of key importance.
Drone images used in national promotion
Peterborough based Sky Revolutions Ltd carried out an aerial survey of the 18th Century Marple Aqueduct for Arcadis recently to help them understand the condition of the brickwork underneath the arches. The images were picked up by the UK Canal and River Trust and are now being used to promote a refurbishment project and parapet installation.
Marple Aqueduct in Stockport is the highest canal aquaduct in England and the highest masonry-arch aquaduct in Britain. The client, Arcadis, needed to inspect the underside of the brickwork arches and the face of the brickwork to highlight any defects.
Lighting upgrade illuminates the full majesty of Worksop Priory’s interior
The second phase of a project to completely upgrade the interior lighting at Worksop Priory in Nottinghamshire has recently been completed by Lighting Dynamics UK, one of the country’s foremost specialist church lighting companies. This latest phase, the upgrade of the lighting for the complete interior, follows completion by the company of a previous phase in the beautiful Lady Chapel which also featured in Ecclesiastical and Heritage World.
Your surveys no longer need to be done on a wing and a prayer
The use of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) is rapidly expanding as the carers and keepers of old buildings and churches learn how much easier and more cost-effective completing surveying and maintenance projects can be with the professional use of drones.
The use of such machines has proved revolutionary in carrying out surveys of areas in ancient buildings and churches which had previously required extensive preparation, followed by expensive and in some cases hazardous operations. Indeed, in some churches there are parts of the building that had not hitherto been accessed at all for many years.
UK Roofing Awards 2018 - Winners Revealed
The winners of the UK Roofing Awards 2018, hosted by the NFRC, were announced at a ceremony hosted by BBC’s Dan Walker at the Park Plaza Westminster Bridge hotel on Friday 11th May 2018.
Now in its eleventh year, the UK Roofing Awards has become a firm fixture for the roofing sector to come together and celebrate outstanding standards of design workmanship and safety demonstrated throughout the year.
NFRC Chief Executive James Talman, who introduced the Awards, said: “These awards stand as a reminder to us all of the important contribution the roofing sector makes through innovative products, design and workmanship, to the construction industry.”
Trace-in-Metal - protecting lead roofs since 2012
St Peter’s Church in Huddersfield in December 2012 was the very first Trace-in-Metal installation and the church and parishioners have since that time, benefitted from the most comprehensive metal theft protection system on the market. It was indeed fitting that a Yorkshire innovation, should be applied for the very first time on a Yorkshire Church.
Since that time, Trace-in-Metal has been applied on numerous buildings across the country, from Cumbria in the west to north Lincolnshire in the east. From Ripley Castle in rural North Yorkshire to the urban streets of Hemel Hempstead, where it continues to protect the lead on the roof of the Registry Office.
Heritage Ironwork: An Endangered Species
This seminar on 14 June is part of the BathIRON Festival of Iron organised by the National Heritage Iron Group between 14 - 17 June in Bath.
There is a fantastic line-up of speakers exploring various aspects of heritage ironwork, so this day is sure to be of interest to anyone who works in the field of built heritage, or simply has an interest in it.
£400,000 spring boost for the UK's historic churches
55 churches and chapels in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland that are set to benefit from rescue funding of £425,183 from the National Churches Trust, the UK’s church support charity.
Churches receiving grants from the National Churches Trust include:
- St Botolph, Colchester, Essex. The Grade II Listed church receives a £10,000 National Churches Trust Repair Grant to help fund urgent tower repairs.
British Islamic heritage celebrated by Historic England
In March, two mosques in London were listed by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport on the advice of Historic England, in recognition of their historic, architectural and cultural importance.
The London Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre in Regent’s Park (1970-77) has been listed at Grade II* and The Fazl Mosque, Southfields (1925-26) at Grade II.
In addition, two of Britain’s earliest Islamic places of worship have been given greater protection and recognition. Britain’s first purpose-built mosque, the Shah Jahan Mosque in Woking (1888-89), has been upgraded to Grade I and an important guesthouse on the site newly listed, while the home to Britain’s first functioning mosque, 8 Brougham Terrace in Liverpool, has been upgraded to Grade II*.
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