Church Roof

The last quinquennial report on the condition of the church building in 2007 identified the chancel roof tiles as likely to require attention within a few years.  The relatively harsh winter caused further damage to the tiles on the chancel roof and with signs of the ingress of water through the north transept roof earlier this year it became clear that some costly remedial work was going to have to be carried out.  An examination of the chancel roof suggested that we could defer the work on the south side but the north side tiles were in need of urgent replacement.  Although it proved difficult to locate any particular point where water was entering the transept roof, the poor condition of the 50 year old roof covering suggested that it be replaced as soon as possible.

Chancel roof

Work commenced in late October 2010 and over 4000 clay tiles from the chancel roof have now been replaced with new equivalent hand-made tiles of 2 shades in order to retain a weathered appearance.  We must use appropriate traditional materials when carrying out restoration work on this listed bulding and fitting the right tiles to retain the historic character of the building has proved to be a costly exercise.  The picture on the left shows the roof with all the old tiles removed and with new underlay and battens fitted ready to receive the new tiles.

Before work commenced we were advised to check for signs of the presence of bats in the roof space and when this was confirmed, work was delayed until the animals had left for their winter roosts.  In replacing the tiles it was necessary to retain openings for bats to return to the roof for a summer roost in order to comply with current wildlife legislation.  This has been achieved by introducing special ridge tiles with openings to allow the bats to enter the roof cavity.  We are assured there is no danger of the bats being able, once inside the roof, to find their way inside the church and despoil the interior with their droppings.  The work is now nearly complete on the chancel roof and the new tiles look splendid. (right).

North transept roof

The north transept roof is a different story.  With evidence of water damage visible in the interior of the north transept - sometimes called the 'side chapel' it was expected that there would be some remedial work required required before the roof could be replaced.  When the old roof was removed in mid November, several sections of the lath and plaster ceiling collapsed and many of the timbers beneath were found to be saturated.  More seriously, the central 15th Century beam supporting the roof has been found to be in poor condition at the point where it bears on the north wall.  Repair work to this area had been carried out in the past and further investigations have shown that earlier reinforcement work  to the wall and upright wall mounted support is satisfactory to bear the load of the beam and compensate for the short end section of eroded timber.(below left - arrowed). Yes - that is a hole in the ceiling to the left!

Following these investigations, work can now continue on making good the roof timbers and subsequent replacement of the roof.

More news will be added here as we get it!