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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.
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.
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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From London to Lanarkshire: Autumn brings £10m Lottery windfall for six UK parks
Today, the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF) and the Big Lottery Fund (BIG) have announced confirmed funding¹ of £10m for six parks across the UK through their joint Parks for People programme. The parks, located in London, Kent, Shropshire, Lancashire and Lanarkshire in Scotland, range from inner city pockets of green space to the heart of the countryside.
Carole Souter, Chief Executive of HLF, said on behalf of HLF and BIG:
“Parks are a crucial part of this country’s heritage and this money demonstrates our on-going commitment to looking after them, making sure they continue to be safe and enjoyable places to spend time. It’s not just the important restoration work that matters. These grants are far-reaching and provide great opportunities to protect our precious wildlife, for volunteers to learn new skills, and get local people involved with taking care of their local park.”
Communities Minister Andrew Stunell said:
"I am delighted to welcome the HLF and BIG’s funding for the six parks. This funding supports Big Society as the initiatives will help to bring volunteers and the community together for the benefit of all. We know that parks are not just green lungs for our towns and cities, but offer venues for many community activities such as local education projects such as hedge-laying, gardening and dry stone walling. Involving local people can also spark further innovation and community activities.
"The parks were set up with great foresight - setting aside land to be enjoyed by the public. This continues today as the funding will see new trees planted by volunteers that will grow for many generations to see in the future."
Chris Packham, environmentalist and broadcaster, said:
“It’s thanks to Lottery players that these precious parks will be properly maintained and remain at the heart of local communities. We’re lucky enough in this country to have an abundance of open spaces that play an important role in many people’s lives. They are home to wonderful wildlife habitats and this money ensures they will be conserved. It’s great to know that our local public parks continue to be looked after.”
The six parks receiving support are:
Mote Park, Maidstone, Kent - £1.8m
Mote Park, orginally a country estate, was converted into a landscaped park at the end of the 18th-century and is now one of the largest public parks in Kent. Its name comes from the old English word ‘moot’, meaning ‘a place of assembly’.
HLF/BIG’s investment will complete improvements as part of a wider restoration programme including rejuvenating the currently empty 19th-century pavilion back to its former glory and providing a meeting point for visitors and staff. Volunteers will help maintain the park’s extensive grounds and new activity programmes for local residents will be set up.
Telford Town Park, Shropshire - £2.1m
Established in the 1970s, Telford Town Park has provided local residents with a much-loved green space for many years. The park, containing signs of Telford’s rich industrial heritage such as old pit mounds, chimneys and railway tracks, is connected to the Ironbridge Gorge World Heritage Site.
Plans for the park include conserving chimneys and pit mounds and uncovering more of the park’s history relating to iron and coke smelting and brick-making. Education trails will be introduced with opportunities for volunteers to take part in wildlife and horticultural workshops.
Whaley Bridge Memorial Park, Derbyshire - £478,000
Whaley Bridge Memorial Park was created in 1920 to commemorate the loss of 108 men in World War One. The park, on the edge of the Peak District National Park, is bordered by the River Goyt and is popular with both local residents and visitors to the area.
Plans for the park include restoring the war memorial and maintaining woodland and wildlife habitats. Volunteers will get involved with the long-term maintenance of the park through activities such as hedge-laying, flower planting and dry-stone walling.
Lordship Recreation Ground, Tottenham, London - £3.8m
Lordship Recreation Ground sits in the heart of the London Borough of Haringey and was opened to the public in 1932. The grounds include a model traffic area which was created in the late 1938 and designed to teach children about road safety.
HLF/BIG’s support will enable the extensive woodland and flower beds to be properly maintained and the model traffic area, Shell Theatre and River Moselle to be restored. Training for staff will include mentoring volunteers and improving their horticultural skills, involving the local community in the maintenance of their park. A new environment centre will be an exemplar low-energy building constructed with natural, robust materials to house a new café and community facilities.
Mesnes Park, Wigan - £1.9m
Mesnes Park began life as predominantly meadow land forming part of the Wigan Rectory Glebe Estate but by 1847 it was home to two collieries. Opened to the public in 1878, Mesnes Park was Wigan’s first municiple park and today sits in the heart of the town centre and attracts 2m visitors a year.
This grant will complete the restoration of this listed park enabling it to play a full role in the life of the town. The bowls pavilion and lodge building will be restored giving them a new lease of life as a permanent base for the park’s friends’ group and volunteers. As well as creating a 'community hub' for the park, it will also provide education workshops and gardening sessions which will teach skills such as flower identification and crafts such as willow weaving.
Cambuslang Park, South Lanarkshire - £551,500 (HLF funded only²)
Created in 1913, Cambuslang Park spans 27 acres and is home to a World War One memorial, a bandstand and the Borgie Glen, a steep tree-lined ravine which sits adjacent to wide open park land.
This HLF investment will enable the restoration of the park including renovating the arena area to allow more events to take place, a new play area and conserving the woodland areas. The introduction of a full-time Park Keeper will help develop new activities encouraging visitors to interact with the park and the friends’ group will be given training in local history, wildlife and tree management enabling them to support volunteers in a number of activities ranging from guided walks to woodland conservation.
