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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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Do you really need a new sound system?
Our first contact from the team at Blyth Central Methodist Church was a phone call that we’ve had many times before explained Paul Dougherty of Blaydon Communications Ltd 'Our sound system isn’t working, it’s all crackly and we just need a new one'.
"In some circumstances, this could be true", said Paul, "audio equipment does degrade, and eventually, it will need to be replaced, but sometimes things just need a good overhaul and a bit of a spruce up. Our first recommended action was to have us attend the church and assess what equipment had been installed. This also allows us to get talking to the people that use the system to find out the real problems first-hand.
Durham Cathedral roof restorations
Founded as a monastic cathedral it has a rich and varied history and was built as a place of worship, whilst also being the home of a Benedictine community. Over the past century it has enjoyed a multi-use purpose and is a Christian Church of the Anglican Communion as well as being a shrine to St Cuthbert, the seat of the Bishop of Durham and a place of pilgrimage and spirituality.
A much-loved and cherished landmark in the North East of England, it also won the ‘Reader’s Choice of Britain’s Best Building’ in a poll conducted by the Guardian, detailing its importance and recognition amongst the local community and wider public.
A complex and high risk major repair made the more easier by a touch of kindness
The tower and spire of St Thomas’ Church in St Helier, Jersey stands approximately 196 feet above ground level. The tower is 33.83m (111ft) in height and the spire is 25.9m (85ft) in height. The tower and spire are constructed from Brittany Granite and are of mid Victorian Gothic design. The tower has stepped buttresses and incorporates the main entrance porch of the church with a triple lancet window with a tracery rose. All four elevations have tall lancets to belfry complete with louvres. The corbelled eaves lead to the transition stonework to the spire.
Surmounting the tower is an open worked spire which incorporates two sets of four decorative Gothic type dormer openings complete with decorative finials. Closer to the summit of the spire are eight rectangular openings, one on each broach all on the same level. The spire houses the main cross beam that supports the ornate cast iron cross. There are a series of steel rods, four in total, that are hooked under small decorative openings. The cross beam and rods provide compression to the spire stonework.
Before you start streaming
In a time of global pandemic, where all church buildings in the UK have been closed during lockdown, we’ve all had to find a new way to do church. Whether via Zoom, through Facebook or YouTube, live streamed, pre-recorded or podcast, churches have been piecing it and sometimes cobbling it together to do things... digitally. DM Music offer some advice.
Since the beginning of March 2020, you won’t be surprised to hear, we’ve seen a huge increase in churches asking ‘How do we live-stream our services?’. In fact we produced a DM Quick Expert Guide to answer this question back in April. Asking ‘how?’, as it turns out, is not the only question you’ll need to consider, and it may not be the best place to start.
Live streaming your church service
If you or your church are thinking about streaming, then before you read on, DM Music recommend you read their Before You Start Streaming Quick Expert Guide. The company believes it is essential to the way you approach the below.
Since the first National Lockdown, live streaming of some form, has been high on the agenda for most churches. With so many options to choose from – including streaming hardware & software, streaming platforms, cameras and microphones – we felt it was necessary to put together a straightforward guide which should aid you in choosing the right live streaming solution for your church.
SLPTG Apprentice Awards 2020 – winners revealed!
The Steeplejack and Lightning Protection Group (SLPTG) recently held its annual Apprentice Awards, which celebrate apprenticeships within the Steeplejack and Lightning Protection industries. This year the awards were held at DoubleTree by Hilton Manchester Piccadilly on Thursday 5 March.
Churches embracing new technology
The needs of a church sound system are quite simple in so much as they want intelligible audio to reach all the congregation including those with hearing impairments. Although this requirement has probably been the same for many years there is now a plethora equipment that can be used and this is when the world of sound can become a mine field.
How to protect your listed property and deter thieves
Gaining consent to make alterations can be challenging if the measures proposed permanently alter the fabric of the building. There are many reversible and inconspicuous measures you can take to improve the security of your listed building which balance the needs of home owners and the authorities.
When speaking to your broker about the right insurance for listed buildings, insurers may take into account your security measures.
Devotion to heritage ironwork is recognised by unique award
For 35 years Chris Topp – along with his colleagues – has devoted his time to increasing his and others’ expertise in the preservation and restoration of the heritage of ancient iron.
Chris’s interest in traditional blacksmithing skills began in 1967 when he had a summer job in Bolton that was within walking distance of the Atlas Forge. At that time, Atlas Forge manufactured puddled wrought iron, as well as re-rolling wrought-iron axles.
Furniture makes its way across the sea
This summer saw West Country-based Fullers Finer Furniture complete a number of deliveries across the water in Northern Ireland. The first was to the Salvation Army’s new premises in Larne, County Antrim – just a short distance from the ferry port. The order was placed following introductions at the Christian Resources Exhibition in Manchester. It was for the company’s trademark York lectern, a Holiness Table and, more unusually, three flag stands.
The furniture was completed in a natural oak finish. The York lectern was fitted with a mic socket and tablet lip, ready to facilitate the latest technology. The lectern bears the Salvation Army crest, hand-crafted in a complementary wood.
St Bart’s goes digital
The parish church of St Bartholomew in Horley, a parish covering Horley town and Gatwick Airport, is a Grade One-listed building, mainly of 14th century origin, although a church has been on the site since the middle of the 12th century.
The building was significantly restored in the early 1880s, with the south aisle added in the early 1900s. Its most notable external feature is its narrow wood-shingled bell turret and spire. More recently, in 1991, two upper rooms were added next to the bell tower which are used for Sunday children’s work, prayer groups and meetings.
Secondary glazing provides divine solution for church windows
Feature windows have played a crucial role in church architecture throughout the ages, with shapes and styles changing to fit the trends of the times. Works of art in themselves, they contribute to a church’s majesty, and the ambience they create adds an extra dimension to the experience of worship within.
These often centuries-old features hold us in awe, and the fact that they still stand intact is incredible in itself. Time does take its toll, however, and churches have to find ways of protecting and preserving their windows. Secondary glazing can play an important role in this.
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.
Starting in April
1. The Annual Parochial Church Meeting will normally be held in April. At this meeting the churchwardens will present the report on the state of the building and of the progress of any necessary work. Will a fundraising effort be necessary this year to pay for building repairs? The parish meeting is a good time to plan this.
2. If there has been a change of churchwarden at the annual meeting, the outgoing churchwardens should run through the duties with the new ones.
3. Respond to the Articles of Enquiry sent by the archdeacon prior to the visitation. 4. The spring clean that was planned in February can take place in April. Ensure all areas of the church are cleaned but remember that old furnishings, monuments, floors and windows may be damaged by cleaning and that no chemicals should be used on them. For advice on how to clean such things, search the Conservation pages on this site for the particular item or contact your DAC Secretary.
5. Ask the bell captain to check the bells and ringing chamber are in good order and that the steps and ladders in the tower are safe.
6. Tidy the churchyard and start to cut the grass if necessary.
Full calendar in inset thanks to Church Care. For further information visit Advice and guidance for church buildings
Church’s new heating ticks all the boxes
Trinity Church North Finchley was formed in 1980 by the coming together of two churches in North Finchley in North London. During the latter half of the 1970s the relationship between North Finchley United Reformed Church (formerly North Finchley Congregational Church) and North Finchley Baptist Church went from strength to strength, and it was decided to recommend that the two churches should unite to form a single church.
Click here to read the full story.
Replacement flagpole for St Edmund's Church, Southwold
Harrison Flagpoles had to design, manufacture and install a replacement flagpole for the top of the 100 ft tower on St Edmund’s Church in Southwold without disturbing the existing lead lined roof and incorporating the church’s own weather vane.
Click here to read the full story.
Brian’s gilt-edged brushwork adds lustre to commissions both sacred and temporal
Pretty much all of us will have passed by commercial properties or visited premises with exquisite signage and wondered at the craftsmanship involved in their creation. In particular, if the work involved gilding the artistry is all the more admirable.
Click here to read the full story.
Secondary glazing provides divine solution for church windows
Feature windows have played a crucial role in church architecture throughout the ages, with shapes and styles changing to fit the trends of the times. Works of art in themselves, they contribute to a church’s majesty, and the ambience they create adds an extra dimension to the experience of worship within.
Click here to read the full story.
‘Made to Order’ radius gutter from Rainclear - true cast or mitred
Sometimes you need to replace a radius gutter (guttering that follows the shape of a circular roofline) on a conservation or renovation project and it needs to be ‘like for like’. The original pattern for ‘sand casting’ of that specific Cast Iron radius gutter may be long gone, but we can use the pieces you still have to create new ‘patterns’ and cast new matching radius gutters for you. This is known as a ‘True Cast’ Radius Gutter.
Thames-side lions roar again
Last year saw the opportunity taken to restore historic bronze mooring points on the Thames Embankment between Westminster and Blackfriars bridges. The work was carried out by Dorothea Restorations and included repair of decorative bronze lions.
Most of the lions had suffered some kind of impact damage, ranging from surface dents to sectional loss or complete loss, where components had fallen into the river. Dorothea Restorations cast some new sections; however nearly all of the components were able to be repaired.
Van Gogh’s London home takes on new life
In August 1873, Vincent van Gogh – then 20 years old – took lodgings at 87 Hackford Road in south west London. Although he was only a tenant there for one year, his time at Hackford Road left a lasting legacy that the house’s current owners seek to celebrate today.
Following a meticulous conservation project that was completed last spring, the Van Gogh House has been brought back to life and hosts a dynamic programme of events, anchored in the artist’s practice and local heritage.
Walking in the footsteps of giants
Masons’ marks high up on pillars at medieval cathedrals and churches tell the story of the master masons who crossed the whole country – and, indeed, the continent of Europe – to oversee the building of those masterpieces of the builder’s art.
Later, the 18th and 19th centuries saw Methodist ministers and non-conformist preachers treading the same paths as they spread the word of the new ministries.
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