Young people shun future visits to heritage attractions over coronavirus fears
Research commissioned by specialist heritage insurer, Ecclesiastical, has revealed young people are less likely to visit heritage attractions in person once the lockdown lifts due to coronavirus fears. However, digital is a revenue opportunity for heritage attractions as two fifths (44%) of young adults who visited a heritage attraction online during lockdown said they would be willing to pay to access these if they were no longer free.
Read more: Young people shun future visits to heritage attractions over coronavirus fears
The true cost of an organ for your church
What is the true cost of an organ for your church? Questions to ask your organ company.
At Allen Organs we believe that the true cost of ownership should be considered when purchasing a new organ or considering a rebuild for your church.
Allen is unique in our industry because we do not consider any Allen Organ too old for maintenance. With over 300 Allen Organs over 50 years old now in regular use in the UK we invite all churches to consider not only the purchase price of a new organ or a re-build but also the long-term value for money for your church.
Every church needs one of these…bespoke hand sanitiser stations
In a sign of the times a local church recently approached Fullers Finer Furniture of Weston-super-Mare in connection with the provision of purpose-built hand sanitiser stations. The church was in the process of undertaking risk assessments to take into account the additional precautions necessary to enable the building to be Covid secure and safely re-opened, in due course, for gathered worship.
Fullers Finer Furniture is a well-known company specialising in the manufacture of bespoke furniture for places of worship, education and the like.
Read more: Every church needs one of these…bespoke hand sanitiser stations
Lightning protection: the new standard explained
In May Historic England began a series of webinars aimed at providing technical guidance for owners and operators of historic buildings, as well as contractors and heritage professionals. Tagged as Technical Tuesdays, the webinars are presented by senior members of Historic England’s technical conservation team.
Each Tuesday in the week sees a webinar on a theme within a particular area of expertise. On 21 July the theme was Lightning Protection. It was presented by Historic England senior building services engineer Geraldine O’Farrell and the team leader of building services and principal engineer, Caroline Cattini.
Ellis and Co repair St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham
Ellis and Co repaired and redecorated this late 1800's Grade II listed church in Cheltenham.
The church of St Gregory the Great is a Grade II listed building consecrated in 1875 after a mid- 1800’s rebuild. Ellis and Co were commissioned as principle contractor to extensively repair and redecorate the interior of the building. Including revealing historic wall paintings.
Read more: Ellis and Co repair St Gregory's Church, Cheltenham
Renovation completed against the elements
Houghtons of York were appointed as main contractor for an interesting renovation project on the west coast of Scotland. Cul Na Shee, a Landmark Trust property is located in the small village of Saddell, Kintyre, about a 25 minute drive from Campbletown. The only access is through a narrow archway at Saddell Castle followed by a rough track, and finally a 60m walk along a picturesque gravel beach.
While this makes for a lovely approach to the property it made delivery of materials to site a rather tricky process, with large delivery trucks needing to be unloaded into a small van for the track before being carried by hand along the beach.
New state of the art visitor centre is a step closer for Lincoln Cathedral
Another major phase of works to Lincoln Cathedral as part of the £16.5m Connected project, of which £12.4m is funded by The National Lottery, is now complete.
Since ground was broken back in October 2018 by building contractor William Birch & Sons, the Cathedral and the surrounding close have seen considerable conservation and renovation works taking place.
Read more: New state of the art visitor centre is a step closer for Lincoln Cathedral
Rinzaffo MGN – salt resistant lime scratch coat, available from Core Conservation
One of the unique products from Core Conservation is RINZAFFO MGN, a plaster developed in 1980 in Venice to tackle the problem of capillary rising damp, penetrating damp and salts - however its origins stretch back to ancient Roman times.
It is a breathable salt resistant lime scratch coat, which protects subsequent plaster layers from the destructive effect of salts. Because it is both waterproof and breathable in the same time, it is suitable for a number of specialist applications such as:
Read more: Rinzaffo MGN – salt resistant lime scratch coat, available from Core Conservation
Care and maintenance of rainwater goods
'Rainwater goods' is a term that covers a variety of different means of shedding rainwater away from a building. Most commonly seen as attached iron guttering, rainwater goods can also be incorporated, unseen, into the building’s fabric, behind parapets and within walls.
The need to shed rainwater away from the walls has been recognized for a long time. Medieval churches are famed for their decorative gargoyles and impressive spouts, simple yet effective ways of doing the job. However, in a modern urban setting these means of draining a roof would be rather hazardous for passers-by and churches are more commonly seen with guttering, chutes and downpipes.
Heritage bodies set out election Manifesto
Ahead of the next UK general election, the Heritage Alliance – a coalition of 200 heritage organisations in England – has published its 2023 Heritage Manifesto, demonstrating how heritage provides solutions to a range of public policy challenges and setting out a vision for the sector under the next term of government.
York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship to hold 'Second Tuesday Talks'
The YCCC is running a free series of ‘Second Tuesday Talks’. These informal talks will be held via Zoom at 19:00 on the second Tuesday of each month, from July to September.
The talks will vary slightly in format, but each event will be around one hour long and provide ample time for audience questions. We hope that you will take the opportunity to hear these fascinating talks, and we welcome suggestions for future topics.
Read more: York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship to hold 'Second Tuesday Talks'
New annexe provides opportunity for an AV upgrade
St Wilfrid’s Church in Grappenhall – a village near to Warrington, Cheshire – is designated as a Grade One-listed building. Built in red sandstone, the church dates from the earlier part of the 12th century.
In August 2020 building work was started on an annexe on the hidden side of the church, with a flexible welcome/discovery room, refreshment area, service and storage area with toilets. As part of the scheme the church required the incorporation of audio-visual facilities in the annexe and major AV improvements within the church building. Following a selection process Richard King Systems were selected as the AV specialists for the scheme.
Read more: New annexe provides opportunity for an AV upgrade
Pipe organ restoration reveals original glazier
J Goodwin Stained Glass recently had the privilege of playing a small role in the restoration of the historically significant pipe organ of All Saints Church in Roos, Yorkshire.
The organ was built by Karl Christian Reiter of Hull in 1881, and is one of only two known to survive in an unmodified condition. The masonary repairs and timber work were carried out by F Kemp & Son of Skirlaugh, the organ was expertly restored and rebuilt by Harrogate-based Peter Wood & Son, and the front pipes were beautifully reinstated to their original design using colour matched paint by John McWilliams, the church warden.