One of the many benefits of steel as a window framing material is its versatility. Steel is very malleable, which means it can be configured into a variety of shapes. It is also stronger than any other framing material and therefore able to support vast expanses of glazing, allowing light to flow into a space.

For heritage projects that versatility is appreciated by conservation officers, architects and designers, because using steel often means buildings can be brought up-to-date while simultaneously staying true to the original character of the development.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. 

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.

The development plan for Exeter Cathedral has received a major boost in the form of a £400,000 award from the Wolfson Foundation. Launched in 2020 with The Prince of Wales as Patron, the appeal aims to raise funds for a programme of heritage conservation, building work and improvements.

The award is the latest in a series of good news stories for the cathedral’s development effort, which includes the construction of a new cloister to replace one torn down during the Civil War more than 400 years ago. Plans for that design by architects Acanthus Clews (pictured below) were approved by Exeter City Council just before Christmas. Earlier last year the project was awarded development funding from the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

One of the emerging benefits of using UAVs for survey works is their contribution to sustainability and carbon reduction.

The national Environmental Working Group of the Church of England has issued a Call to Action on the Climate, calling on all parts of the church to aim towards zero carbon emissions by 2050, in line with Government and EU policy. The group is formulating a motion for General Synod to that effect.

Newtech Southern was awarded the contract to design and install a new audio visual system for Ealing Green Church, West London. The church was to undergo a complete refurbishment and as part of these works a new high quality sound and video system was required.

The church required multiple floorboxes each with a variety of audio / video inputs and outputs, these would allow for the system to accommodate all types of services and events to be held in the church.

The magnificent painted timber ceiling in the nave of Ely Cathedral was painted between 1858 and 1862 by Henry Styleman le Strange, a gentleman artist from Hunstanton and completed, following his death, by Thomas Gambier Parry.

Repair work to the fabric of the nave was begun in January 1987, for which a suspended scaffold was inserted below the ceiling. This provided the opportunity for a programme of inspections, analysis and conservation work to be undertaken to the magnificent painted timber ceiling.