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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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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’.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Nearly four decades of maintaining standards
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.
First step towards saving historic Derbyshire church
The historic church of St. Mary, Marston-on-Dove, Derbyshire, has been awarded a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) in response to its appeal to save the church tower from imminent collapse.
HLF has earmarked £156,300 towards the project and awarded an upfront development grant of £20,300. This will be used to progress plans in order to apply for the full award at a later date.
SWA member helps to restore WW2 codebreaker building at Bletchley Park
Home to the World War Two codebreakers, Bletchley Park has this year completed an £8-million Heritage Lottery Fund financed restoration project to create a world-class heritage site. This has seen the transformation of the formerly derelict Block C codebreaking building into a vibrant visitor centre, a process that involved Steel Window Association member, Mike Honour Windows, renovating over 100 original window units.
Mike Honour Windows worked with Fairhurst Ward Abbotts, the specialist conservation contractor, carefully to remove the windows, many of which were large and made up of multiple units. This process involved numbering and labeling each window so that it could later be reinstalled into exactly the same position.
Revealing the roofs other surveys cannot reach
Tuffin Ferraby Taylor (TFT), a leading independent property and construction consultancy, has used an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) in a roof inspection survey of two historic buildings in Windsor for the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead.
TFT faced the challenge of providing a comprehensive roof survey of the listed Guildhall and Theatre Royal but roof access was limited by normal means. With the Changing of the Guard parade for close-by Windsor Castle passing the buildings daily, closing the road to allow access for a hydraulic platform to view the roofs was not possible in the timescale and inspection from roof hatches was limited.
Tudor wins "Best Roofing Product" award 2014
Tudor Roof Tiles Co Ltd, Britain's foremost independent handmade clay roof tile manufacturer, has won the prestigious 2014 ‘Build It Award’ in the category of ‘Best Roofing Product’.
The company received this accolade for its historically authentic range of handmade peg and plain clay tiles,which add value to new build projectsas well ascomplementing older styled or period properties in conservation areas.
Hidden 200 year-old Swiss Garden reveals its rare Regency treasures
A little-known Swiss Garden created in the heart of Bedfordshire in the early 1800s has been saved from decay thanks to a £2.8m Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) grant, which has funded vital restoration to its crumbling fairytale-style landscape and buildings.
Looking as though it has stepped off the pages of a European children's storybook, its quirky buildings, bridges and ornamental structures, act as focal points on a magical journey along woodland paths, through grassy glades and past tumbling water. Its makeover has transported the nine-acre garden back to its Regency appearance, when its creator, Lord Robert Henley Ongley dropped this 'alpine' landscape into its unlikely Bedfordshire setting close to Biggleswade.
A 'magical' project by Sebastian Wakefield
This room was Georgian addition to a much earlier priory, the client had added dado panelling. They had used mdf and tulip wood, both cheap. Sebastian Wakefield was then employed to grain all the woodwork.
The room was furnished with the client's collection of Beidermeier furniture.
Busy heating installer is awarded multiple commissions
Back in 2012 Holy Trinity Church in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire (pictured), was in need of a replacement for its central heating system. After the job had been put out to tender, church heating specialists Mellor and Mottram of Stoke-on-Trent were appointed to carry out the installation. The job went well and the new heating system has proven to be a reliable and efficient system for the church and its parishioners.
What to consider when buying church chairs
Chairs are of the utmost importance to any church and will quite often see much heavier use than in most comparable environments. As such, it's in the best interests of any church to think carefully before investing in any chairs for public use, as the right folding chairs and furniture have the potential to last a lifetime.
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