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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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Wales’s medieval jewel now sounds as magnificent as it looks
St Asaph Cathedral dates back 1,400 years, with the current building dating from the 13th century. The cathedral now benefits from a bespoke, comprehensive premium sound system designed and commissioned by expert engineers from Richard King Systems.
In addition to significantly enhancing the sound reproduction for services and events at the cathedral, the new system provides a matrix of selectable audio feeds for both live streaming and recording which is attracting viewers both in the UK and overseas.
AV community prepares for its annual gathering
The annual meeting and exhibition of the AV industry’s trade association ISCVE will be taking place in person on 21-22 March at its traditional venue, the Coombe Abbey Hotel in Coventry. ISCVEx 2023 will be the premier event for audio, communications and AV professionals.
In a post urging potential exhibitors to act fast to secure space, ISCVE said: “We are thrilled to have such amazing support from our industry. This year we are expecting 38 exhibitors and more than 200 attendees and we cannot wait to see everyone there!”
Visitors can expect to see the latest products and services from leading suppliers in the sound, communications and AV industry, as well as learn about cutting-edge technology during the seminars.
Lincolnshire ‘Queen’ of parish churches is latest to benefit from lighting specialists’ attention
St Andrew’s Church in Heckington, Lincolnshire, is a quite magnificent parish church. Built in the 1300s in the decorated style of the period, it is adorned inside and out with ‘many statues, gargoyles, beasts, royal faces, angels and animals leaping from the world and imagination of the 14th-century stone carvers’.
The 14th-century church was endowed by a former vicar, one Richard de Potesgrave, who was chaplain to both Edward II and Edward III. How a lowly vicar could take on the building of a magnificent church is explained by a letter written in 1892 by the Venerable Edward Trollope, Bishop of Nottingham, quoted in a history of the church written by Sandra Sardeson.
World famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society has fanlight by Yorkshire craftsman
The fanlight is an architectural device of having a window or 'light' above a doorway to allow light into an otherwise gloomy hall or passageway in the shape of a fan.
Initially, fanlight windows were rectangular and this example made by Anthony Temperton is above the dining room of the world famous Scotch Malt Whisky Society, Edinburgh – a stunning contemporary conversion of a Georgian New Town townhouse – where the whisky bottle is kept away from the stove and reserved for postprandial tipples – all bottlings are straight from the cask and unique to the society.
York Handmade unveils 'transformational' £1.5m state-of-the-art machinery
The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company has invested £1.5 million in brand-new machinery which will transform how the company makes bricks.
York Handmade, who are now the UK’s leading small independent brickmaker, is confident this investment will open a new chapter in the company’s illustrious history.
The first bricks from the new plant will be available in March.
Hinowa spider ‘vital’ to clear trees laying siege to castle
Tree surgeons have become kings of the castle after taking delivery from Access Platform Sales of a Hinowa Lightlift 17.75 Performance IIIS spider platform.
That’s because their first project for the exceptional tracked boom lift has been to clear diseased ash trees from around a Welsh medieval castle.
And without it, certain elements of the project would have been impossible to carry out, said Tom Morris, Director of Morris’s Grounds Maintenance of Rhadyr, near Usk, in Monmouthshire.
Summertime and the lightning is striking!
With summer in the offing there is actually a greater risk of thunderstorms and lightning strikes. That is because they occur in specific conditions, requiring two basic elements – moisture and rapidly-rising warm air. High humidity combines with warm temperatures to create a large amount of warm, moist air that can form a thunderstorm as it rises into the atmosphere.
Adrian Brown of lightning protection experts Lightning Strike Ltd has researched the causes of the increase in storms and explains it in his blog.
Revamped masterpiece adds clarity to its delivery
While Rochdale’s Grade One-listed Victorian Gothic Town Hall is one of the finest municipal buildings in Britain, renowned for its unique and detailed architecture, it also functions as the ceremonial headquarters of Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council and houses local government departments, including the borough’s civil registration office.
The extensive work being carried out will also create an open and accessible community space, featuring exhibition rooms and a new Bright Hall next to the Great Hall, for community events to take place.
Expansion of pioneering private hospital in historic Leeds building set for approval
Planning approval is set to be granted for the second phase of a pioneering private hospital in one of Leeds’ most iconic buildings.
Leeds City Council planners are ready to give the green light to a brand-new 6,500 sq ft extension at the 17th century Red Hall House estate near Roundhay Park.
Phase One of the £8m development is complete with the multi-disciplinary Leeds Private Hospital at Red Hall now fully operational.
Order in the court!
The historic Guildhall in Tavistock, Devon, has undergone a complete refurbishment to allow visitors to have a more interactive and memorable experience when visiting the museum, council chamber and meeting place. As part of the project APi Sound & Visual were appointed to install a new AV system into the Guildhall’s courtroom.
The design of the courtroom was not conducive to easily installing an AV system without it being obtrusive when not in use. A system design that gave flexibility but ease-of-use was paramount to the success of the project.
Midlands trio add to church heating specialist's portfolio
A trio of churches in the Midlands are set to find winter more comfortable in the future. They are the latest additions to those benefitting from the expertise of specialist installers Mellor and Mottram of Stoke-on-Trent, who have been installing heating systems into churches for more than three decades.
St Mary’s in Royal Leamington Spa (right) is a Grade Two-listed building designed by J G Jackson and built in 1838-9. It is complemented by two adjoining halls, all suitable for hiring out.
Clock dials restored at St Lawrence Jewry Church, London
The four dials on the St Lawrence Jewry clock tower in the City of London were faithfully restored and gilded with gold leaf, and painted black – the originally colour, discovered during the restoration process.
In October of this year, a four-man team from Smith of Derby comprising Rich, Tim, Dan and Mak travelled from the Clockworks in Derby to London with the dials. Under the guidance of project managers from Bakers of Danbury and with the assistance of the scaffolding team from Fourways, they were successful in refitting the dials to the clock tower which overlooks the Guildhall square and can be seen from much of the City.
Parishioners at St Matthew’s are seeing things in a new light!
CLS Electrical Services Ltd – also known as Church Lighting Systems – were given the task of updating the existing lighting system in St Matthew’s Church in Worthing, which mostly consisted of tungsten halogen floodlights providing the main illumination throughout the church. Not very energy efficient!
After CLS carried out an inspection of the existing installation, they confirmed that the existing control equipment and most of the wiring could be kept and re-used, keeping the overall cost of the project as low as possible to meet the church’s budget.
Works such a bind for bookman Phil
What do you do if, after 25 years in secure, paid employment, you suddenly find yourself on the redundancy scrapheap? Put the skills you’ve acquired to work on your own behalf, of course – by setting up in business for yourself. That’s what Phil Winskill did 14 months ago when he was made redundant from his job as a bookbinder at York University.
All Saints floor is finally restored to its stable self
The Victorian tiled floor at All Saints Church in Boyne Hill, Maidenhead – designed by G E Street in 1857 – had become deteriorated and unsafe due to being laid on a defective substrate. Quantity surveyors Sawyer and Fisher and architect Roderick Maclellan recommended well-known specialists Cliveden Conservation to carry out the sensitive repair of the floor in accordance with Street’s original design.
Cliveden Conservation first assisted with moving furniture and placing items in safe storage. With the floor cleared, a detailed photographic survey was undertaken to provide a guide for re-laying the tiles. Cleaning trials then commenced.
Winners of British Woodworking Federation Awards 2022 announced
The winners of the prestigious British Woodworking Federation (BWF) Awards 2022 have been revealed at an evening of celebration held at the Kimpton Fitzroy London Hotel.
This year marks the 14th anniversary of the annual Awards which celebrate outstanding achievement, skills and talent from across the woodworking and joinery manufacturing sector.
Serious concrete - the new Hartley Memorial Pathway
This commemorative pathway dedicates the names of all the victims of the Hester Pit Disaster on the site of the old pit head which is now a memorial garden.
The path was designed by Russ Coleman in collaboration with Rob Walton who worked with local people to produce a prose poem that weaves eye witness statements, newspaper accounts and a telegram from Queen Victoria into an emotive walk through the garden to the old pit shaft. The path was designed in black concrete with white letters in a contemporary font for the time. There are also commemorative hedgerow flowers cast into the path.
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