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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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Quinquennial Reports – stained glass and leaded light windows.
The
All building materials deteriorate in time and there is always a compromise to be made between the needs of the building and the cost of repairs or replacement be it the roof,
stonework, organ, central heating system or any other of the many components that form part of the structure.
A large number of our churches are enhanced with stained glass and leaded light windows. These perform several functions apart from the obvious ones of allowing light in whilst keeping inclement weather out. They are educational and inspirational in depicting scenes from the bible. They are a tribute and memorial to our forefathers - the rich, famous, powerful, artistic, literary, scientific, humanitarian and sometimes even the humble. They honour our dead from many wars, particularly those of the 19th and 20th centuries and chart the history of the British Nation whilst relating it to the individuals who served their country in so many ways.
In most cases they have been in place for years with very little attention and are rarely if ever cleaned. Their contents are seldom recorded, although all churches that have been enhanced with stained glass should keep a pictorial record of their windows with close up shots of any inscription. Their design style and content may elicit either wonderment or dismay from people seeing them for the first time but eventually because of their familiarity they are almost unnoticed.
Windows constructed from lead and glass are very forgiving, they can to some extent
accommodate movements in the stone and brickwork surrounding them. Where as sometimes happened they were incorrectly sized or installed or had insufficient support they could survive for many years before the problems caused by these errors began to show themselves as apart from vandalism, degeneration is a slow process and often goes unnoticed until the stress causes the lead structure to bow and then the glass to break and finally the windows start to leak.
Usually stained glass and leaded light windows are installed into a groove or rebate in the stone or brickwork, retained by render and tied by copper wire to horizontal bars for support. These bars should be on the inside of the building so that winds blow the window panels towards their support - not away as is sometimes found where money has been saved by tieing them to external decorative ferrementa instead. Regardless of which side they are supported eventually the copper ties pull away from the lead to which they were soldered and the weight of the panels causes them to sag and bow.
The use of mild steel bars and steel or cast iron ferrementa both of which rust when exposed to moisture can cause spalling and discolouration in the area surrounding the windows. In addition many windows have opening casements made of steel and these also rust and deteriorate in time.
By incorporating a specific window survey carried out by specialists as part of their QqR schedule the church will have a regular update of the condition of their windows identifying those that are in a good condition and those that need attention in either the short or longer term.
As a stained glass company with over thirty years experience in all aspects of the craft
A & J Stained Glass Studios Ltd. http://www.ajstainedglass.co.uk/ offer a specialist service surveying church windows, preparing a written report on their condition, prioritizing and costing repair requirements and advising on window security and protection. Charges are based on a fixed rate for the report plus traveling expenses and can be supplied upon request.
Performing a regular window survey as part of a QQR will hopefully identify problems at an early stage and they can be monitored and a programmed of repair formulated.
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http://www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk
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