Despite the sometimes severe weather conditions on-site over this period, good progress continues to be made on the project. Working top-down externally and internally, works at the higher level are rapidly being ticked off.
Externally the repairs to the roof are around 80% complete. Work to restore the clock tower to its former glory is also well underway. When the roof work is completed the temporary roof will be removed and the scaffolding to the outside of the building will be reduced to enable any further external repairs.
This is a project of three main elements – the first being the restoration and repair of the original church building, the second being its transformation into a teaching and learning space and the third being the creation of the link building. much of the work to date has been on the first element; in the coming weeks the emphasis will start to shift to elements two and three.
Capital Projects Programme Director Julia Bond
Internally the high-level repairs and redecoration are progressing and as the scaffolding reduces work at the lower levels can commence. Construction for the South Aisle Mezzanine will begin shortly, a great move into the transformation of the building and a real insight into how fantastic this new space will be.
A delicate moment for the project will be forming the opening in the South Transept to connect to the new link building. The stonework in the Rose Window has moved over the years and the glazing adapted to the various strains over time. To maintain the glory of this beautiful entrance the window and its surrounding stonework and glass will need to be removed, restored and replaced.
We knew that there would be areas of the structure that would require more attention than others and the rose window is one of them. It is wonderful that we can save it, as left un-checked it would have failed sooner or later and been lost.
Capital Projects Programme Director Julia Bond
The craftsmanship and attention to detail on the project is exceptional. A great example of this is the restoration of a feature dubbed the ‘Witches Hat’, where each tile has been individually adapted to enable to re-create the original feature. Whilst of course demonstrating the skill of the current construction team it really highlights the immense talent of the original construction team.
Whilst we hear of the architects we seldom hear of the workers, and it is only right that they are given their equal share of the credit. The team think that they have found evidence of the marks of builders on the clock tower, in the stones FPL and Charlie G 1765 and inside in the render initials M 1808 and H 1758, long before our archive records began.
We look forward to relaying future construction project developments and historical insights in future updates.
