Another busy year sees heating specialists in action across the country

Three of the churches Mellor and Mottram have worked at over the past year include (l-r) St Mary’s Without-the-Walls in Handbridge, the Church of St Michael in Billinghay, Lincolnshire and St Michael’s and All Angels Church in Barnes.

Christmas worship will be a more comfortable experience for the congregation at St Mary’s Without-the-Walls in Handbridge, Chester. Stoke-on-Trent heating specialists Mellor and Mottram completed the installation of a new system in the 19th-century building at the beginning of November, allowing worshippers time to get used to the new-found warmth before Advent.

The church was built in 1887 to replace the original St Mary’s On-the-Hill, which is now a heritage centre inside the city walls.

The new system comprises two gas boilers from Rinnai, the award-winning manufacturer based in nearby Runcorn. The boilers feed radiators from the Jaga range, featuring low surface temperature for added safety of the congregation.

In addition, Mellor and Mottram installed two Dunham Bush fan convector heaters into existing ducts in the chancel, to boost the heating in that part of the church.

The new system replaces a system installed in 1987 by Mellor and Mottram, who have a long relationship with the church’s architects Donald Insall and Associates.

Earlier in the year the company continued another long association – this time with renowned church heating consultant Colin Bemrose. The project was the installation of a new system at the historic Church of St Michael in Billinghay, Lincolnshire. The church is part of the Carr Dyke Group of six churches and can trace its origins back to the 12th century. It boasts a ‘very fine C16 wooden roof, with wooden carved bosses’, according to its listing text, and a Minton tiled floor in the chancel.

Company principal Stuart Mottram said: “We were contacted by consultant Colin Bemrose, with whom we have worked on a number of churches, to install a new system in this Grade One-listed building.”

In this case an oil-fired boiler was installed, together with new mild steel pipework. The boiler feeds Merriott radiators, which can be specified in a range of colours to minimise their impact on historic stonework and decor.

Stuart explained: “We chose Merriott radiators because they worked best for this particular installation.”

Again, the heating in the chancel is boosted by two Dunham Bush fan convector heaters.The system is controlled by a day-and-night controller, maintaining a constant temperature to protect the ancient fabric.

The two contracts formed part of a busy year for Mellor and Mottram. It saw Stuart criss-crossing the country to personally assess and supervise projects. In addition to working throughout the North West, Yorkshire and the Midlands, the company travels to all parts. The past few years have seen Mellor and Mottram engineers working in Cornwall, Scotland and Wales, as well as a number of projects in London.

The new system installed at the Church of St Michael in Billinghay.

They have included the replacement of a Grundy system at St Michael’s and All Angels Church in Barnes. The two stove pots were replaced by a 205kW indirect-fired gas heater. An indirect system is one where the air is heated by heat exchangers rather than directly by the gas burners. Sound attenuation was also fitted to minimise noise in the church.

Mellor and Mottram was established in 1973 as a commercial heating contractor, but quickly found its metier in the specialist area of church heating. That long history – together with the personal involvement of Stuart and his predecessors in all aspects of an installation – have led to much of their work being generated by personal recommendation.

Over the decades the company has evolved to meet the many challenges posed by changing expectations, in particular a demand for more comfortable surroundings and the need for energy efficiency. They continue to provide a solution that fits both demands.

For futher information visit the website at www.mellorandmottram.com