Ecclesiastical & Heritage World Issue No.64

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COVER STORY

CONTENTS Hat-trick heating heroes Stoke on Trent based church heating installers, Mellor and Mottram, don’t believe in doing things in ones – or even twos. They have recently completed another trio of installations around Rochdale – in Littleborough, Dearnley and Milnrow.

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5 Reflections NEWS 9 Masterful restoration brings award nomination 9 British Library joins the listed elite 10 Faithful replication of historic wall tiles ensures seamless restoration 10 Traditional skills go on show in the Trossachs 11 Attention to detail helps bring historic site back into use ROOFING 12 Heritage roofing projects are once more in the spotlight 15 Heritage properties deserve specialist care 16 Long-established roofers still have what it takes 17 Rainclear Systems – heritage, quality and expertise – they care about the detail 18 Old timber and old render 19 Rooflights allow the light to shine in 19 Yesterday’s tradition, today’s choice, tomorrow’s heritage…

PROJECTS 45 Planning permission granted for Christ Church visitor centre

CRE MIDLANDS

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Midlands bound: CRE continues its journey New label marks a Red Letter Day for Christian music Taking church lighting to the next level of innovation Daughter’s memory kept alive as 30 years in business are marked Arts theatre brings theatre and music to CRE Ball set to get them rolling in the aisles

FIRE PROTECTION 52 Inspection scheme improves access to specialist fire safety expertise 53 Fire doors, escape doors and the legal obligations 55 Fire Door Inspection – quality, service and compliance 56 Advanced protection for Magna Carta LIME 57 57

Ancient and modern: lime is infinitely flexible Why lime has been in use for millennia

STAINED GLASS 59 Cathedrals help preserve the skills for preservation 59 Stained glass revivals see new artistry and new locations 60 Shining a light on a night at the opera 60 The passion that became a business CARVING 61 Craftsmanship in carving is now affordable

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Celebrating Yorkshire’s Heritage In this issue’s special feature we look in depth at some of the projects recently undertaken to preserve the rich heritage of England’s largest traditional county – as well as at the companies and individuals who carry out that work 21

Twin bodies promote skills honed over two millennia

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Yorkshire Day marks the start of a heritage fest

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New diocese hits the jackpot – three times over

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York’s showpiece gallery re-opens with new ceramics centre

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Woodcarving of the highest standard

DISABILITY ISSUES 62 Inclusiveness is achievable with the right will 62 Get in the loop – and stay in it 63 Conservation area church access gets H&S thumbs-up thanks to Brett paving solutions CHURCH & HERITAGE SUPPLIES 64 Classified Section

Richard Shepherd – Business Development Manager Advertising enquiries: Tel: 07429 516265 Email: richard@dmmonline.co.uk All other enquiries: Tel: 0161 710 3880 Fax: 0161 710 3879 • 61 Lower Hillgate, Stockport, Cheshire SK1 3AW Copyright Ecclesiastical & Heritage World. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be copied, reproduced or transmitted in any form without prior permission of Ecclesiastical & Heritage World. Views expressed in this magazine are not necessarily those of the publisher.

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[ON 1 AUGUST half of the population of northern England marked Yorkshire Day, when Yorkshire folk celebrated

the best their county has to offer. That offering includes much to be enjoyed of this country’s heritage, including its ecclesiastical history.

In joining with the celebration, this publication has also devoted a substantial number of its pages to looking in some depth at some of the projects catching the eye as well as at the specialist companies devoted to the restoration and preservation of that heritage who are based in the county.

That includes the co-incidental conclusion to a project to extend and refurbish York Art Gallery, establishing at the same time a home for the most extensive collection of British Studio Ceramics in the country.

The major thrust in preserving heritage skills in Yorkshire is based in the city of York itself. The York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship grew out of a demand for those skills which make York the fascinating city it is, with its wealth of ancient buildings clustered round the Minster, the castle and monastery.

• Returning to the west of the Pennines, the town of Rochdale was the site of no fewer than three projects to replace heating systems in churches to be carried out by church heating specialists, Mellor and Mottram. All three are within a couple of miles of each other – Holy Trinity in Littleborough, St Andrew’s Dearnley and St James’s in Milnrow – and they feature on our front cover.

• Birmingham will be a centre for celebration in October when the ever-expanding Christian Resources Exhibition makes its way to the NEC for the latest CRE Midlands. The usual mix of exhibitors and seminar speakers will be offering advice to churches on everything from sound systems to vestments to seating. There will also be aids to ministry and a full programme of entertainment. The show follows the success of the first CRE International at London’s ExCeL following the move from Sandown.

• A landmark in promoting heritage skills was the creation of the National Heritage Roofing Contractors’ Register by the NFRC. The NFRC was also the body behind the foundation of the Roofing Awards, which now encompass the entire industry. This year, as on previous occasions, heritage and ecclesiastical projects figured in the spotlight in a number of categories in addition to the Heritage category itself, which went to a cottage in Snowdonia.

The other secular heritage projects were a tenement building in Edinburgh, a mansion in Surrey and the stunning Northumberland Observatory in Cambridge, which won the fully supported metal roof category for Norman and Underwood. The church building project to win a category was the repair of the spire of Wadhurst Parish Church in East Sussex, which brought Clarke Roofing Southern Ltd the Shingles and Shakes prize.

• Another craft that has been enjoying a revival – with a very modern slant as well as ancient skills – is that of stained glass art. While the medieval stock is being catalogued in a Europewide project, new art is being showcased in churches both old and new, public buildings and even again in private dwellings. It is a trend that is helping to brighten all our lives. q

Chris Stokes

Editor, Ecclesiastical & Heritage World

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COVER STORY

Hat-trick heating heroes pull off another trio of installations [CHURCH HEATING INSTALLERS Mellor

and Mottram don’t believe in doing things in ones – or even twos. They seem to make a habit of installing trios of systems in churches in close proximity, often as a result of previous collaborations.

Such was the case when the company was approached by Rochdale architect Graham Holland to carry out a survey of the system at Holy Trinity in Littleborough – a Pennine village to the north of the town.

Holy Trinity is the Grade One-listed parish church of the village, acting as a landmark in the village centre and providing a focal point for the Anglican community there.

The heating was provided by an ancient Robin Hood boiler, originally coal fired but converted to gas many years ago. The boiler, in the basement of the church, was working at around 55% efficiency.

The solution provided by Mellor and Mottram was the installation of two new gas-fired condensing boilers, which can be configured to operate at around 95% efficiency. The old flue was replaced by a fully-welded stainless steel flue header within each boiler.

The stunning rate of efficiency was provided by the control systems installed with the system.

The controls allowed for the ‘sequencing’ of the boilers to maximise efficiency, together with weather control. A system of optimisation allows the controls to ‘learn’ the best way to sequence the boilers, adding to fuel savings.

The installation at Holy Trinity led to Mellor and Mottram being invited to carry out a survey of the heating system at St Andrew’s Church just a couple of miles down the road in Dearnley, a suburb of Rochdale itself.

Two wall-mounted gas-fired heaters had been installed in meeting rooms, which had proven to be unacceptable to the PCC. They were noisy when in operation and upon examination were shown to have been incorrectly installed and not

Holy Trinity in Littleborough compliant with current gas regulations.

A new system was required for the main church and the meeting rooms. The solution was a ‘wet’ system comprising two gas-fired boilers, offering a total of 130KW of heat, and low-surface temperature radiators. The boilers, which were installed in the basement, are sequenced to provide optimum start and serve three heating zones on a seven-day timer.

The pipework for the entire system was also replaced.

A further two miles away, on the other side of picturesque Hollingworth Lake, lies Milnrow, another of the area’s Pennine mill villages.

Milnrow’s Parish Church is dedicated to St James the Apostle and is Grade Two listed.

However, problems with damp in the north and

south aisles were caused by inadequate heating and a new system was needed.

The heating was provided by high-level gasfired radiant tubes which were not adequate for the job. Mellor and Mottram were appointed to install a new ‘wet’ system.

Two wall-mounted gas-fired boilers in the vestry, fitted with balanced flues, provided heat via cast-iron radiators and mild steel pipework.

Four ducts in the floor of the church were utilised to provide further heating via four ‘gilled’ tube trench heaters.

Circulation was provided by a Grundfos Magna circulation pump, aided by a highefficiency pressurisation unit.

The contract was carried out over a two-year period and finished in the spring of this year. q

St Andrew’s Church, Dearnley (left) and St James the Apostle church in Milnrow (right) are both now benefitting from new‘wet’ heating systems installed by Mellor and Mottram

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Masterful restoration brings award nomination [IN MARCH A £3m project was

Hal, with cross wings at either end and built around 1487, has been revealed. Sufficient completed to restore and regenerate The fragments remained of the timber frame Master's House in Ledbury, Herefordshire: a to develop an accurate evidence-based Grade Two* listed, medieval timber-frame reconstruction. building. Built as the residence of the Master “Repairs were carried out using traditional of St Katherine’s Hospital in the town in the carpentry techniques and semi seasoned 15th century, the building had been on English European oak was selected to match the Heritage’s Buildings at Risk Register before extraordinary large scale of the frame. work began to repair it in 2013. The building Salvaged oak was used for small patch now includes the local library and a council repairs, matching in grain and texture, and one-stop shop. new oak was matched for grain, texture and According to project architects Butler growth."

Hegarty: “This project was made possible by Even more significantly for the project a grant of £1.25m from the Heritage Lottery team, the result has drawn many favourable Fund. The ambition is that the repaired comments from users of the building. and regenerated Master’s House will be a Robert Waddington, chair of the Friends valued public building, a heritage destination of the Master’s House, commented: “The and a starting point for interpretation building is proving to be such a success – it is and understanding of Ledbury’s historic so satisfying to see people’s reactions and to environment.” see that it has already started to provide such The project resulted in the revealing of the a source of culture and social help and at the medieval timber frame forming the core of the Picture courtesy of Speller Metcalfe same time is engendering such interest in the building, notably the open Central Hall. The story of the hospital and the Master’s House.” approach taken by the architects recognises Main contractor Speller Metcalfe, who scooped the Heritage the primary significance of the timber frame, which has been repaired category in the West Midlands Celebrating Construction Awards and made stable, revealing a clear picture of the underlying building. for the project, summed up the general air of achievement felt by The significance of the restoration of the timbers has resulted in the everyone involved. project being shortlisted in the Existing Building category of this year’s “For Speller Metcalfe, this was an opportunity to work on a local, oneWood Awards. of-a-kind landmark that delivers outside of the traditional and allowed Part of the description in the citation reads: “The completeness of the us to put quality and historical accuracy above bottom line.” q medieval timber frame that forms the two-storey, three-bayed Central

British Library joins the listed elite [THE BRITISH LIBRARY has been Grade One listed by Heritage

Minister Tracey Crouch, it was announced on 1 August. A further seven later 20th century libraries have been listed at Grade Two. Roger Bowdler, Director of Listing at Historic England, which advised on the listing, said: “The British Library is one of England’s finest modern public buildings. Listing it at Grade One acknowledges its outstanding architectural and historic interest. Colin St John Wilson’s stately yet accessible design incorporates fine materials and a generous display of public art. The Library’s dramatic and carefully considered interiors achieve its ultimate goal: of creating a space to inspire thought and learning.

“It joins a select group of other listed post-war public libraries on the National Heritage List for England. Even in today’s digital age, there is a clear future for these buildings. They illustrate a wide range of architectural styles, and together represent the very best in public architecture.”

The seven late 20th century libraries which were announced as being Grade Two listed are: • Bebington Central Library on The Wirral • Chandlers Ford Public Library in Hampshire • Milton Keynes Central Library • Chichester Library, West Sussex

• Bourne Hall Library in Epsom, Surrey • Lillington Library in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire • Suffolk Record Office, Bury St Edmunds A further nine libraries from the period had already been listed at Grade Two or Two*. q

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Faithful replication of historic wall tiles ensures seamless restoration [

CRAVEN DUNNILL JACKFIELD has successfully completed the replacement and restoration of hand glazed, historic wall tiles for the Grade 2, former East Ham College. The project involved the origination of accurate models for 39 unique designs and the formulation of several metal oxide glazes, which were fired and applied seamlessly to match the original tiles of the 1903 building.

Rick Mather Architects lead the refurbishment project, in consultation with English Heritage. Jackfield manufactured the tiles and worked in close collaboration with specialist tiling and terrazzo contractor WB Simpson & Son. The newly manufactured wall tiles are such an exact match to the originals and so expertly installed that the difference in age of around 110 years is indiscernible to the untrained eye.

The official foundation stone of the original building was laid in 1903 and is located in the entrance porch, surrounded by a decorative backdrop of brown glazed ceramic tiles. Many of the tiles in the outer porch, the main vestibule, stairs and ground floor corridors had been extensively damaged over the life of the building. Whilst it was possible to salvage some of the original tiles by cleaning, many others were missing or so badly damaged that they needed to be replaced.

The level of manufacturing complexity on the project was significant.

Approaching 1,400 tiles were required across 39 unique designs, of which 813 had to be manufactured from scratch, without any existing moulds. These included decorative, embossed border tiles, two sizes of panel frame profiles, skirting borders, 6 x 4 inch and 6 x 3 inch tiles in plain and round edge, and external curved skirting profiles. Fitting

new tiles within existing ornately decorated tiles was an intricate job and required the reproduction tiles to be accurate in both size and thickness.

Unable to take moulds from the original tiles, the team at Craven Dunnill Jackfield expertly re-modelled all the tile profiles, faithfully copying the remaining originals. The replacement tiles were then manufactured in biscuit before being hand-dipped in specially formulated, metal oxide glazes in green and brown. The glaze recipe used was similar to that of the original tiles.

Adrian Blundell, production director at Craven Dunnill Jackfield, led the project, working closely with the tile contractor to ensure the project was successfully completed. Blundell attended the East Ham College of Technology back in 1984, taking a foundation art course in art and design, and clearly remembers the ornately decorated, ceramic tiled pillars which take centre stage in the main vestibule.

He commented: “When you are dealing with a historic site, you never know what issues are going to arise. Our prime concern with this project was achieving the exact match with the remaining original tiles, which had aged over time. The team at Jackfield has a wealth of knowledge and expertise and previous work on restoration projects at the Gaiety Theatre, Isle of Man and Baron Court Underground was invaluable.�

The multi million pound refurbishment of the building was completed late 2014. q • For further information visit www.cravendunnill-jackfield.co.uk

Traditional skills go on show in the Trossachs [

ON 17 SEPTEMBER schoolchildren and residents of the picturesque town of Callander, on the eastern edge of Loch Lomond and The Trossachs National Park, will get a first-hand opportunity to see traditional building skills in action and possibly get some hands-on experience.

The town will be host to the Forth Valley Traditional Building Forum, who will be mounting a number of live demonstrations. Visitors will see stonemasonry by Historic Scotland and stone carving from a bursary holder of the Heritage Lottery Fund. The forum will also be working with Forth Valley College to show off joinery, and painting and decorating skills.

A traditional roof slating demonstration will be undertaken by NFRC Scottish Trade member Rooftec (Scotland) Ltd (pictured at a demonstration in Falkirk as part of Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2015).

They will be showing off their skills in traditional roof slating practices. q

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Attention to detail helps bring historic site back into use Getting accurate design in ironmongery proves a crucial element

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A FORMER AIRFIELD with a history that dates back to 1911 has become Britain’s first heritage motor and aviation specialist business campus. The 348-acre site that was RAF Bicester – now owned by Bicester Heritage – is creating a centre of excellence for all the services and support required by vehicle and plane owners and enthusiasts.

RAF usage of the site largely ceased in 1976 and it was not until the site was purchased by Bicester Heritage in 2013 that it was used to any degree. Over the intervening decades very little was done to maintain the 60-plus buildings, some of which were built in 1926 and many of which are listed. Tenants now include a wide variety of companies associated with heritage vehicles and aviation, including the latest tenant: a historic grand prix car preparer.

Buildings are being refurbished by Beard Construction, working alongside English Heritage, with emphasis placed on restoration that is consistent with the design and style of the period when they were first constructed. The design is managed by architect Gaunt Francis.

One of the crucial areas where authentic products are required is that of architectural ironmongery. In that area the expertise of local specialist Oxford Ironmongery is called upon.

Its managing director Julian Newman said: “While a lot of the door hardware has been replaced over the years, much of what was used were not accurate reproductions of what was originally there and it was a priority for Bicester Heritage to ensure that it is in keeping with the original buildings.”

Daniel Geoghegan, managing director of Bicester Heritage, agreed. “Attention to detail is key, particularly when restoring a site of such historic importance,” he said. “We put over 200 hours of research in to our choice of paint colours alone. It is reassuring to know that Oxford Ironmongery share the same fastidious nature when it comes to their hardware, without these details our restoration would not be complete.”

As each building is let, Julian Newman and David Simms of Gaunt Francis carefully assess it to determine what ironmongery would have been there when it was built. The Oxford Ironmongery

team then researches the most appropriate and historically correct products to meet the practical requirements of the building’s new use, bearing in mind what can be manufactured, cost constraints and deadlines.

It is relatively early days for this exciting and unique project, with restoration complete at 18 of the 60 buildings, creating 30 business units.

Oxford Ironmongery has been commissioned for the next phase of renovations and envisages that it will be involved for several more years, helping Bicester Heritage to achieve its vision for the rebirth of this fascinating and historically important site. q

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Heritage roofing projects are [ON 15 MAY the winners of this year’s

Roofing Awards were announced at a special luncheon held at the Hilton London Metropole on Edgware Road. This year's host was BBC newsreader and international triathlete Louise Minchin.

The awards feature a specific Heritage category, which includes among its finalists some of the cream of heritage building projects. This year’s winners were Jordan Heritage Roofing Ltd for Penmaen Cottage in the Snowdonia National Park. Described by the judges as an “exemplar project to set the standard in the area…”, the existing 240-year-old slates were all reused, trimmed and re-holed where necessary.

Jordan Heritage Roofing Ltd won the Heritage Roofing award for Penmaen Cottage in Snowdonia

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The project was grant-aided by the Snowdonia National Park Authority (SNPA) and Cadw, with a training programme funded

by Dolegellau Townscape Heritage Initiative with Heritage Lottery Fund support.

Jordan Roofing narrowly pipped the other finalists, Bain and Irvine Ltd for the Scotch Whisky Experience in Edinburgh, Clarke Roofing Southern Ltd for the renovation work in Ratton, Eastbourne and last year’s winners Claude N Smith Ltd for the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Cambridge.

Clarke Southern got their reward, however, in the Sustainable Roofs: Shingles and Shakes category. They won the category for their project to restore and repair the stormdamaged spire of Wadhurst Parish Church, a Grade One-listed church in East Sussex.

The Norman spire of the church was badly damaged during a storm in 2013. Shingles were removed and one facet of the entire

structure had been ripped away, including tennoned rafters and braces.

According to the contractors: “We managed to climb inside and get above the eight bells to the eave at over 100ft up, using harnesses and ropes to prevent falls. From this vantage point we found further damage not visible from ground level and we immediately obtained instruction from the insurers to fully scaffold all elevations of the tower.

“The scaffolding allowed access for detailed inspection and it was found that the storm had damaged the other elevations, shingles and substrate boarding.”

Clarke Roofing replaced the cedar wood shingles using John Brash best red shingles after the company’s own carpenters had completed major repairs and stabilisation to the spire using new oak timbers.

Another project at a historic site to impress the judges was the replacing of the copper roof of the Northumberland Observatory at Cambridge University, built in 1838. The project won the award for Fully Supported Metal Roofing for Leicester-based Norman and Underwood Ltd. The project was described in the awards catalogue as: “Traditional renewing of copper

once more in the spotlight

Winners of the Sustainable Roofs: Shingles and Shakes award were Clarke Roofing Southern Ltd for Wadhurst Parish Church in East Sussex cladding on a rare 177-year-old observatory.

Traditional methods of installation, the tapered copper roof sheets were joined by standing seams and cross welts.

“Intricate hand folding and brazing was necessary for technical details, particularly to areas around the opening mechanisms.”

The work was vetted by the Federation of Traditional Metal Roofing Contractors (FTMRC).

Shaun Ward, who received the award on behalf of Norman and Underwood said: “The works carried out are to an extremely high standard of workmanship with all details being executed with the utmost care and attention. It is one of the best examples of traditional copper works to a dome I’ve seen.”

Two projects featuring heritage residential buildings attracted awards.

Bolton Roofing Contractors took the prize in the Double Lap Slating category for Eyre Crescent in Edinburgh, a listed Victorian tenement building.

In the Double Lap Tiling category the award went to Karl Terry Roofing Contractors for New Place in Banstead.

A mansion in the Arts and Crafts style, it was reroofed in reclaimed clay plain tiles. To mark the fact that this was the

Norman and Underwood Ltd were winners of the Fully Supported Metal Roof award for the Northumberland Observatory at Cambridge University

10th year of the awards, Karl Terry Roofing were also awarded one of two Outstanding Achievement in Roofing awards. The other went to Lakesmere Ltd. Traditionally, the Roofing Awards are the venue for the official presentation of the Murdoch Award and Murdoch Sponsors Award

by the Lead Contractors Association, both sponsored by Associated Lead Mills. This year they went to John Fulton Plumbers for Govan Waterside and to D Blake and Co Ltd for the Belvedere at Dumfries House. The Young Leadworker of the Year was named as Ryan Fisher from Kent. q

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Heritage properties deserve

specialist care

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BRITAIN HAS ONE of the oldest housing stocks in Europe, as well as many thousands of other buildings such as churches, civic buildings, old factories, castles and stately homes. When it comes to their repair and renovation, they demand and require specialist workmanship and high attention to detail. This reassurance and peace of mind comes when utilising the services of the only national register of fully vetted, competent roofing contractors.

The National Heritage Roofing Contractors’ Register sets out to identify and list roofing specialists who have a proven track record in successfully completing some of the most complex heritage roof replacement and renovation work. They have the highest levels of knowledge, skill and The Church of the Holy Sepulchre – or Round House – in Cambridge by Claude N Smith Ltd experience in the historic and vernacular systems of clay tile, • Heritage Craft Roofer: Capable of taking slate, stone and shingle roofing. The register is overseen and run by the responsibility for workmanship on a heritage roofing UK’s established voice of roofing, the National Federation of Roofing contract and who supervise the execution of the Contractors (NFRC). specification and the working instructions formulated by There are three classes of accreditation in the Heritage Register: a contract professional.

• Heritage Roof Master: Capable of taking • Heritage Craft Roof Operative: Craftspeople responsibility for the design and performance of the experienced in specific heritage roof types, such as York Peg Tiling and roof. They will be able to work closely with architects, Rag Slates, who carry out the work as specified. historians and other professionals to achieve an Holding any one of these accreditations demands precise skills and acceptable specification for the heritage roofing works. considerable knowledge of not just construction, but new technologies and the abilities to source the correct materials.

These specialists, combined with the reputation of the NFRC, have meant that the register has become fully endorsed by all the top heritage agencies: English Heritage, Cadw Welsh Historic Monuments, the Environment and Heritage Service for Northern Ireland and Historic Scotland.

All of this means that building owners can safely entrust the future of the UK’s historic buildings in the hands of members of the National Heritage Roofing Contractors’ Register. q

Ratton Renovations in Eastbourne by Clarke Roofing Southern Ltd

• To find the right member for your project go to www.nfrc.co.uk. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Long-established roofers still have what it takes [WHEN THE WELL-KNOWN roofing

company John Williams & Company was established in 1870, it had already seen other manifestations that could date back as far as 1822, in Bangor, North Wales.

In 2004 the present company John Williams & Company (Contracting) Ltd was formed.

In the intervening years, and since, the company’s craftspeople have worked on many prestigious buildings, including Tower Bridge, St James’s Palace and The British Museum in London; Rochester Cathedral and Portchester Castle in the South East and many famous hotels and mansions up and down the country.

At the same time many thousands of ‘ordinary’ properties and homes have received the same care and respect.

Originally established as dealers in cement, the company’s development as roofing contractors and suppliers of slate merchandise began around the turn of the last century, when the firm owned depots in North Wales, Faversham, Newhaven, Southampton Docks and Rotherhithe in London, which was the main location and head office.

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The company’s website tells the story: “Originally slate was transported by ship and the premises at Rotherhithe were ideally situated with its own wharf on the River Thames, where barges full of Welsh slate could unload. In addition to selling and fixing roofing slate the company processed slate for manufactured products such as steps, window sills, mortuary slabs and panels for electrical switch gear.”

Shortly after the First World War the company acquired a clay tile manufacturing business at Barton-upon-Humber in Lincolnshire. The Greenwood pantile, named after the family that owned the company until 2004, survives to this day as part of the Goxhill range of tiles.

In the 1970’s there was a revival of interest in natural roofing slate among architects and planners. Apprentices were trained at the depots in Rotherhithe and Dover, many of them the sons or grandsons of existing employees.

In 1974 the company moved to newlyacquired premises in Lympne, near Hythe in Kent, which is still their base.

The company’s commitment to its employees was recognised in 2000 with the awarding of

The Slate Manual produced

by John Williams & Company in 1976

Investor in People status to its Kent office. That status has been maintained and in 2015 a 15year Investor in People certificate was awarded.

With the establishment of the National Heritage Roofing Contractors’ Register by the NFRC it was natural that John Williams & Co would appear on it. They are registered as Heritage Roof Master in four categories: Peg Tiling, Plain Nib Tiling, Ornamental Leadwork and Refurbishment of buildings and ancient monuments. q

Rainclear Systems – heritage, quality and expertise – they care about the detail [RAINCLEAR SYSTEMS IS well known as an online retailer and as

the UK’s leading distributor of metal guttering and downpipe products, so you might be surprised to discover there’s a team of experienced, knowledgeable personnel at the end of the phone too.

Geraint Jones, managing director of Rainclear Systems, explains: “We are much more than a conventional online stockist, we have a knowledgeable team that can help with product suitability, installation advice, flow calculations and drawing ‘take offs’. When you phone Rainclear you get through to a helpful team that make the process of choosing and buying a metal rainwater system as easy as possible. From standard stock items to the most bespoke one-off projects, we aim to provide the best possible service to the market.”

Charlie Cutforth, technical sales executive, adds: “We understand the time pressures onsite and the need to get things right first time. Dealing with manufacturers can often be tricky so we pride ourselves on a fast, efficient service that takes the hassle out of the process.”

Rainclear keep a large stock of the most popular, standard sizes, metals and colours but if you want something out of the ordinary, a bespoke hopper, a different gutter profile or an unusual colour finish, they can support you through the process of choosing the right product, getting a quote and the best possible delivery time.

Anthony Hitchman, general manager at Rainclear, concludes: “We deal with all types of clients from professional installers, general builders, main contractors and homeowners. We hold a good quantity of stock in cast iron, aluminium and galvanised steel so we often have what customers want in stock, available for next day delivery. If we don’t have

it in stock, then we’ll make sure you get it as quickly as possible. We deal with bespoke requests on a daily basis and offer advice on tricky site detailing. We want our customers to be more than satisfied, to come back to us again and again, and to recommend us to others.”

So if you know exactly what you want you could just visit the website at www.rainclear.co.uk, as many do every day, making swift and simple purchases safe in the knowledge that they receive the best quality rainwater systems with next day delivery – free on orders over £300 net – and are able to pay by credit card or Paypal as they’d expect.

If, however, you had the need for something more ambitious or more extra-ordinary and you were thinking ‘maybe I could do with a little help with this one’, then you could just give the team at Rainclear a call on 0800 644 44 26. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Old timber and old render

By FRANCOIS MOAL, managing director of Thames Valley Specialist Products Ltd

[WITH THE BRITISH weather against us, protecting timber surfaces

outside can be challenging. The accepted wisdom is to use a more or less transparent oil or resin, but does this work well? Not really, as the oil becomes the problem – overcoating increases the opacity of the stain to a point where the veins are no longer seen. There can be flaking too, followed by a weary sanding job!

There is an alternative which keeps the agents responsible for the damage away – and this is achieved by using an appropriate biocidal detergent.

Wood rot is caused by a fungi and the biocide should be used to saturation point, so as to kill the nescent fungal hypae before damage is done. The black dots are a tell tale sign – if they are kept away, the wood will not rot. Treated this way, natural timber will change appearance under the influence of the weather.

Wood is made of three main constituents. The cellulose represents approximately half the mass and consists of short, sharp needles woven into long strands. The needles have a binder which forms a sophisticated composite material with good mechanical properties. The lignin is a hard polymer resin accounting for a quarter of the wood mass. The remaining mass is a mix of hemicellulose, minerals and an array of polymers providing natural defences, colour and smell.

When outdoors, sawn timber will first lose the water soluble elements which are exposed to the rain. The other polymers, including the lignin, will become water soluble under the action of the light. This phase is

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observed by a change of colour, known as photo oxidation.

The combined effect of light and rain will gradually expose the silver grey cellulose. As the saw cuts through the needles’ longitudinal arrangements at every wave in the grain, the unbound needle ends tend to rise under surface desiccation, feeling sharp and abrasive to the finger.

Such a textured surface retains moistures and becomes a natural host for an array of biological species such as bacteria, fungi and algae. They feed on the substrate and release metabolites, preparing it for further and faster feeding.

The bio-colonisation of bare cellulose is easy to control. A product such as AlgoClear ticks all the boxes with regard to environmental footprint, safety and ease of use. It is applied with ordinary garden implements.

The periodicity of application will vary from site to site but twice a year is a good starting point. If a shady corner requires a more frequent application, just reach out for the watering can for some localised treatment. If this is done in time, no brushing will be necessary.

Does it treat other surfaces? Yes, very much so, as the biocidal detergent acts on the biofilm, regardless of the nature of the substrate – and the biocidal treatments are particularly effective on porous surfaces. q • Thames Valley Specialist Products Ltd market a building cleaning process known as Algoclear Softwash. The company operates in the UK and Ireland. For further information visit www.renderclean.biz and www.softwashireland.ie.

Rooflights allow the light to shine in [ IN NOVEMBER LAST year the Episcopalian

Anglican community at Westhill in Aberdeenshire attended a service to mark the completion of a new £2.3m church.

As befits a church with a contemporary style of worship the church building is bold and modern, its highly contemporary style designed for maximum functionality and to encourage use by the wider community.

The modern materials used include a zinc roof, which contains 33 roof windows from Fakro. The rooflights are discreetly positioned to flood the stage with natural light as well as illuminate a cluster of buildings which form the sanctuary, low rise foyer and adjoining offices.

Products include electrically operated windows with a rain sensor, flat roof windows with combination flashings, a smoke vent window, wall switches and remotes.

An important element in the aesthetics was that the windows come with bespoke flashings to match the roof.

Project architect Mark Dysart of McLean Architects Ltd commented: “We specified Fakro products because of the excellent technical support and the option to specify matching zinc flashings.

These were crucial to achieve a fully co-ordinated appearance.”

The project for the new church building was first planned a decade ago and, following fundraising by the congregation, whose donations were the only source of funding, building work began in January 2013.

Rev Ian Ferguson told local press: “It’s been a long time; we had a vision many years ago to build a community church here. We’re in now and really enjoying it. The community seems pleased with the facility, and we’re just thrilled.” q

Yesterday’s tradition, today’s choice, tomorrow’s heritage…

[HERITAGE CLAY TILES LTD is the UK’s leading supplier of high

quality handmade and handcrafted clay roof tiles, peg tiles and machine made tiles.

The company pride themselves on their high quality product range. Manufactured using traditional skills coupled with modern kiln technology, their tile ranges are second to none.

They offer old world character and charm, yet are able to meet modern, contemporary requirements. A wide colour choice, including innovative shades and bespoke styles is available, allowing the architect, specifier or homeowner complete versatility to create a stunning design that will enhance any project.

The Clayhall range has been carefully crafted to replicate all the features of handmade clay tiles and the Clayhall hand crafted range of tiles offers an excellent alternative when budget restrictions are a concern, but without compromising quality or durability.

The Heritage Classic range of plain tiles is one of the finest ranges of clay tiles available on the market today. The company source only the best raw materials for their craftsmen to create beautifully hand formed clay tiles of the highest quality and durability. The process is rigorously monitored and checked continuously in the factory to ensure that standards are strictly adhered to before undergoing further stringent tests by Lucideon Building Technology.

Imerys Roof Tiles, like all of the Heritage ranges, are covered by a comprehensive 30 year guarantee for durability. The Phalempin Plain Tile is a highly appealing traditional plain clay roof tile produced at Phalempin in the north of France. The mellow, textured surface combines the beautiful appearance of mature handmade tiles with affordable prices. Unique anti-capillary channels ensure enhanced performance and peace of mind at pitches as low as 30 degrees.

Available in seven distinctive colours, which may be used individually or mixed on site to create your own distinctive blend, the Phalempin Plain Tile is supported by a range of matching accessories including ridges, valleys, bonnet hips, cloaked verge, eaves and gables plus external angles for vertical hanging.

Heritage Clay Tiles aim to offer maximum value for minimum outlay, urging clients not to compromise, but to get the roof they desire, for less! q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

There’s a diverse heritage to be found ‘up North’ [WINDSWEPT MOORS and industrial pioneers: the traditional view of Yorkshire from

outside of its borders often belies what really lies within. In this latest in a series celebrating England’s largest traditional county we will be looking at the rich and diverse heritage to be seen there – from the medieval and Saxon churches to the art of the current century.

In the following pages we will be looking at some of the projects recently undertaken to ensure that heritage survives, as well as major new developments to house that rich diversity of treasures. Such a development is the £8m redevelopment of York Art Gallery and its new Centre of Ceramic Art. In addition, we will be profiling some of the craftspeople whose skills spread beyond Yorkshire’s borders to bring life back to heritage buildings across the country. In particular we will be examining the role of the York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship, with its membership of highly-skilled traditional craftspeople, and its sister organisation the York Foundation for Conservation and Craftsmanship, whose funding efforts keep craftsmanship alive. q

Twin bodies promote skills honed over two millennia [WITH A 2,000 year history and a wonderfully preserved stock

In addition to the Foundation’s own money, a number of other supportive charitable organisations – the York Company of Merchant of fine buildings, York has for generations been a thriving centre for Taylors, the Historic Houses Association, the Surveyors’ Club and the what we now think of as heritage skills. York Minster and the many Freemasons' Provincial Grand Charity – provide additional bursary medieval churches in the city have long stimulated a demand for funds. masons, carvers, ironworkers, carpenters and stained-glass experts.

The Foundation employs no staff and administrative costs are Sustaining and developing their heritage skills isn’t easy. The long covered by the trustees. A highly efficient methodology has developed training and commitment required, usually for modest financial over a number of years to target, identify and evaluate suitable rewards, makes it a challenge to nourish these skills and prevent bursary recipients. The Foundation aims to spend quite small sums them dying out. For that reason, in 1999 a group of concerned that have the potential to make a big difference. and interested people in York got together to establish two parallel bodies.

The York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship has over 150 members, mostly heritage practitioners, and exists to provide services to and promote the interests of specialists in the region. Its sister organisation, the York Foundation for Conservation and Craftsmanship, began to raise funds that could be distributed to help craftsmen take on apprentices and to assist determined and talented individuals develop their craft and conservation skills further.

The Foundation has grown steadily and funds now exceed £300,000. Income generated by the fund is spent as bursaries, An ornate tulipwood aedicule by YCCC member Houghtons of York under construction (left), and the pediment of ranging from a maximum of the aedicule showing the hand-carved bracket and fluting work £3,000 to as little as £500. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

The lime rendering on this monument was completed by YCCC member Woodsbuild Heritage Ltd

Grade One-listed church gets new roof

Last year the Foundation achieved a double century – it awarded its 100th bursary and the total value of bursaries awarded in the Foundation’s relatively short history exceeded £100,000.

According to Martin Stancliffe, a conservation architect and former Surveyor to St Paul’s Cathedral who is chairman of the Foundation: “It is incredibly encouraging to meet and be able to help so many really worthwhile individuals. We know from quite extensive research into the way our bursary recipients’ careers have developed subsequently that these bursaries make a real difference. It is partly about the money, of course, but also about the confidence and recognition that the awards engender.”

The Foundation’s secretary James Grierson added: “While we are able to help some terrific individuals, there are many deserving applications that we have to reject every year and this is why we are working very hard to grow our funds. This seems to be striking a chord with many generous individuals. We have raised £95,000 so far this year but are determined to raise more.”

Applications for next year’s bursaries need to be received by the end of March and application forms can be downloaded from the Foundation’s website at www.conservationyork.org.uk. Those interested in providing financial support should email the foundation at jrj.grierson@gmail.com. q

[

THE SKILLS OF YCCC member company Geoff Neal Roofing were brought into play recently to carry out the replacement of the roof at St Mary’s Church in Watton, East Yorkshire.

This project involved the installation of a terne-coated stainless-steel roof and the replacement of rainwater goods, masonry and timbers.

The original 16th-century oak timber beams were retained and sympathetically repaired with new oak. Stainless steel additions were fitted to the structural engineer’s design, to stabilise the roof structure. The masonry parapets where repaired using bespoke hand-made bricks sourced from Bulmer Brick and Tile. The roof was then repaired with terne-coated stainless steel, including the internal parapet gutters.

The cast-iron fall pipes were removed and refurbished or replaced where necessary. The Grade One-listed building was protected during the work to ensure as little damage as possible.

The project was a finalist in the Construction News Specialist Awards and the 2013 NFRC Awards, in the hard metals category. q

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These images show St. John’s The Evangelist before (left) and after the conservation undertaken by YCCC member Francis W Downing

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Important furnishings receive sympathetic attention [BASED IN KNARESBOROUGH, North Yorkshire, YCCC

member Tim Phelps is a fully ICON-accredited conservator, listed in the Conservation Register.

Tim and his workshop team specialise in sympathetic treatments of important historic interiors, such as show-wood, panelling and fittings, and have worked on significant commissions across the north of England. These have included the magnificent oak panelling, fittings and doors in the Great Hall of Durham Castle and the Adam-designed cabinets in the Muniment Room at Nostell Priory, along with furniture and fittings in the Butler’s Pantry.

The team has also been responsible for treatment and repairs to the fragile, early 19th-century curved glass and mahogany display cabinet fronts at Scarborough’s Rotunda Museum. They are currently carrying

out on-going maintenance of the library cabinets, fixtures and fittings of the stunning, Grade One-listed interior of the John Rylands Library on Deansgate in Manchester.

Alongside these notable on-site works, the workshop restores individual pieces of furniture for museums and private clients across the region. They can take the form of structural repairs, comprehensive restoration following fire and water damage, tidying tired surfaces or replacing show-wood losses on quality antique pieces.

Says Tim: “Our speciality is sympathetic finishing to historic surfaces – retaining a mellow, subtle waxed appearance rather than the sad loss of surface, colour and texture often associated with french polishing treatments.” q

The John Rylands Library Historic Reading Room

Restoration of the garden conservatory at Scampston Hall [

SKIPTON BASED YCCC member Sebastian Wakefield has successfully completed a small project to restore the garden conservatory at Scampston Hall in Malton, North Yorkshire.

Sebastian has been painting and gilding for over 30 years and successfully used a mix of skills to match the original layers of paint, as the client wanted to keep the weathered look of the wall.

Starting with yellow limewash and dry brushing a low polymer paint over the top to match the colours, he successfully blended it in. The new wall was painted with limewash in a matching pink and, to tidy the job up, he also painted the air conditioning units in a pink acrylic paint that is designed to adhere to plastic.

Sebastian was also able to match the damp proof rendering, at the bottom of the wall, to the rest of the wall. q • For further information on the work of Sebastian and his associates visit www.paintersandgilders.com.

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Its a photo finish at the weighing in room! [

OUR STUNNING PHOTO shows the new weighing in room at York Racecourse for which York based architectural and ecclesiastical blacksmiths, Don Barker Limited, were proud to have produced the ironwork which included an innovative pillar design (right).

The brief was to reflect the traditional look and feel of the original red, white and blue cast iron pillars of the Main Stand but with a lighter more modern interpretation. They came up with the idea of a double helix, similar to the DNA spiral, produced by threading together two bars each having first been forged into a spiral.

With the inside surfaces painted white and the outer surface of one bar red and the other blue, the tri-colour effect was achieved putting a new ‘twist’ on the original Victorian cast iron pillar design.

Don Barker Limited are happy to have played their part in the refurbishment of York Racecourse having also made the new gates commemorating the life of Henry Cecil. q

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Consortium’s membership ensures craftsmanship flourishes [MEMBERSHIP OF THE York Consortium for Conservation

and Craftsmanship is open to anyone interested in supporting its aims – whether they are a conservation practitioner or craftsman, a commissioner of conservation work, a researcher, educator or just an interested supporter.

As a member, you would be helping to support the work of the consortium, which is run entirely voluntarily.

New members receive a copy of the current directory and the latest newsletter. Members also receive regular newsletter mailings and emailed announcements of local events, as well as courses, lectures and the like which may be of interest. They are also sent details of special

trips, visits and lectures organised specifically for consortium members.

Those who are active craftspeople can market their services via the listing of practitioners and companies on the consortium’s website, with website links.

There are two categories of membership: corporate, which costs £50, for those wishing to represent a workshop, company or institution; and individual, costing £20, for practitioners or supporters who want to join on their own behalf.

Payment can be made by standing order mandate or by using internet banking. A membership form is downloadable from the consortium website at www.conservationyork.org.uk. q

A stich in time for Fairfax House [FOLLOWING THEIR RECENT successful completion of conservation and restoration works in Ripon Cathedral, St Nicholas, Newcastle and Manchester Central Library, York-based Andrew G Podmore & Son have been involved with the York Civic Trust at Fairfax House.

Reputedly the finest Georgian town house in England, Fairfax House was designed by York’s most distinguished eighteenth-century architect, John Carr. It was saved from decay and returned to its former glory by York Civic Trust in 1982-84.

Podmores were entrusted with the task of sorting through boxes of loose veneers, mouldings and carved sections that had been collected over the years after being dislodged, broken and loosened with the ravages of time.

This was a somewhat time-consuming task – matching detached sections to each individual piece of furniture and reinstating on site, it became the ultimate giant three dimensional jigsaw. Most of the work was carried out during opening hours, providing the public with a unique view of the conservation work witnessing the skills of the craftsmen and even the smell of the boiled bone glue.

Podmore’s next task was the repair to the 18th century mahogany writing table (pictured), after a design by Thomas Chippendale. The top had shrunk across the grain over the years which had led to the side mouldings splitting the top and loosening the front column capitals. The mouldings were removed, the splits closed and mouldings re-glued in place. All the work was carried out without disturbing the existing finishes.

Andrew Podmore are delighted to be involved with the ongoing care of this important collection. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Traceability comes to the fore as metal theft figure begins to climb again [RESEARCH PUBLISHED RECENTLY by Vacant Property

Specialists (VPS), a company specialising in the protection of premises that are temporarily void or vacant, shows that metal theft is on the rise again ‘after a dip following new laws’. The article, using the headline Losing your Mettle: Is the Law failing to stand up to Metal Theft?, shows that incidence of metal thefts reported in the media is back to the same level as it was before the introduction of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act 2013. The draft analysis discovered that, prior to the Act, metal thefts were being reported in the media at rates of 400-500 per month. In the 12 months that followed the Act those reports reduced dramatically to around 200-300 per month. In February and March this year, however, the figure has leapt back to an average of over 400.

“Since official data of actual metal thefts is hard to come by, we decided one way to gauge the impact of the Scrap Metal Dealers Act would be to record every national and regional press report on metal theft involving materials such as cable, lead or copper,“ explained VPS managing director Anthony Owen. “In terms of numbers, these reports run into tens of thousands, but this is very likely to be an underestimate of the actual volume of such thefts, because many, if not most, will go unreported in the media. But it could at least provide some important trends – and it has.”

One explanation of the reversal of the downward trend was offered

by Trace-in-Metal, the Yorkshire company whose unique marking product allows stolen metal to be identified. Before the introduction of the Act, the company points out, the figures had reached almost epidemic levels and the government funded a police task force specifically to reduce the crime. Once the Act was introduced the funding dried up and any proactivity has been lost.

Trace-in-Metal’s managing director John Minary – a former West Yorkshire police detective – said: “Proactivity in the form of the Metal Theft Task Force was always going to result in reductions. What is clear now is that, with the pressure on the criminals being released, the SMD Act alone is not sufficient to reduce this very serious crime.

“The SMD Act has strengthened licensing and taken cash out of the system. Traceability of the metal and having the ability to connect

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metal to transactions remains the missing link. The Trace-in-Metal system gives the recyclers this ability.”

The system fires thousands of microdots into the metal sheets, ‘marking’ them with a unique identifying code.

In addition to being impregnated into the metal, the dots – which are almost invisible to the naked eye – are also painted onto each sheet using an all-weather lacquer that shows up under ultra-violet light. Such is the science behind Trace-in-Metal that even the smelting process cannot destroy the nickel dots and their unique tags.

John Minary continued: “It helps dealers to get on with their day job of reprocessing legitimate metal, without the worry of getting caught up with stolen metals. It keeps metal where it belongs – on roofs or providing vital infrastructure.

“I’m proud to say it is a Yorkshire invention that utilises Swedish innovation and ballistics expertise. It is totally unique and we believe it will revolutionise the way valuable metal, in particular lead, is protected from thieves.

“Metal theft is big business and the Home Office estimates it costs the UK economy around £220m a year. With resourcing being an on-going problem for police forces, anything that helps in preventing crime and saving police time must be welcomed.

“We see Trace-in-Metal as a valuable weapon in the crime prevention arsenal, and one that will help protect historic buildings around the country. Trace-in-Metal makes stolen metal #2hot2handle.” q

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Planning meeting provides a catalyst to innovation [ THE TRACE-IN-METAL TEAM met

up recently for a planning day at The Catalyst, part of the York University Innovation Centre: the meeting provided the opportunity to share achievements and ideas in an ambience rich in invention.

The planning day was structured to provide a review of recent performance and the opportunity to develop and share ideas for the continued improvement of the company and the products on offer to prevent metal crime. The team was joined by key partners David Simister from DifferentPR and Kieran Bentham from Dataphiles, who both provide key functions to the business.

Managing director John Minary said, “This is a very important day in the Trace-in-Metal calendar. It is a day when we can get out from behind our desks and share in our successes, and continue building the strong foundations of our ever growing business.

“We have very talented people working with us, and getting together in the University Innovation Centre provides us

with a rich ambience to share ideas for where we need to take our business and our developments.” q

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Topp & Co.

specialists in historic ironwork [

CARING FOR THE fine metalwork at some of the most architecturally sensitive sites in the world demands superb craftsmanship and, as leading authorities in the ancient craft of blacksmithing, York based Topp & Co. thrive on the demanding technical challenges set by the heritage sector. Their relationship with leading architects, specialist contractors, conservation experts and practitioners is central to their ability to deliver to the highest standards.

Recently, Topp and Co. have completed the restoration of this beautiful bandstand at Exhibition Park in Newcastle. Completed on time and to the client’s expectations, the bandstand is the centre piece of the park’s £3 million redevelopment funded by the Heitage Lottery Fund.

The bandstand was built in 1875 – it is a cast iron structure with a zinc roof and an octagonal platform with a scrolled cast iron balustrade.

Slender cast iron columns support the arches and decorative spandrels and the round-topped curved roof has an ornate decorative finial.

The bandstand before being restored (left) and close-ups of the expertly completed project There was an interesting turn of events on the project for which the original tender was to take down, restore and reinstall. However, arriving on site, the company’s craftsmen could not see any reason to take down the structure. The work had been priced as per the tender documents but they offered an alternative solution – that of restoring the bandstand on site.

After many site meetings with both the end client and the main contractor, the proposal to carry out insitu repairs was accepted on a revised cost, saving the council thousands of pounds.

There were a number of challenges to solve along the way, as things came to light that were not evident at the time of pricing, but all in all the end justified the means and Topp & Co. are extremely proud of this restoration project.

Working in all ferrous and non ferrous metals, the range of services offered by Topp & Co. include restoration, bespoke and replica work, consultancy and specification. Established over 35 years, the company can count St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey, Buckingham Palace and Chatsworth amongst their clients and they are, to their knowledge, the only supplier of genuine puddled wrought iron in the world.q

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Crafts consortium promotes the city’s skills [

Handmade ‘specials’ are more than just another brick in the wall

THE STATED OBJECTIVES of the York Consortium for Conservation and Craftsmanship are to ‘promote to the widest audience the skills, knowledge and capabilities available in York, over a diverse and growing range of conservation specialisms, in order to attract additional work and funding’ and to ‘build on York’s enviable reputation as a nationally and internationally recognised centre for conservation practice, research and teaching’.

In order to achieve those objectives the consortium actively seeks to attract conservators and craftsmen to York to live, thereby attracting into the city more business in the conservation sector. The YCCC also promotes York as a place to hold heritage-related conferences, meetings, training courses and exhibitions and to learn about heritage conservation at both the theoretical and the practical level.

It also works with other organisations based in York to showcase the successful work that is being done in the conservation of York’s buildings, archaeology and collections and share the experience and expertise available there with the world.

The YCCC also sees its objectives being promoted by ‘encouraging and facilitating the training of students by the disbursement of awards and grants’. q

[ IT’S BEEN A whirlwind few

years for prominent YCCC member the York Handmade Brick Company.

Based in Alne, just north of the city, the company is a perfect example of the way the traditional craftsmanship nurtured by the YCCC is employed in both new-build and restoration projects across the country.

Some of the projects involve huge quantities of special bricks, made using traditional techniques. A recent project involved supplying 70,000 bricks for the refurbishment of Carmelite House in central London, the former headquarters of Associated Newspapers, completed last year.

In 2013 the company celebrated 25 years since the former Alne Brick Company was acquired by its current principal David Armitage and Tim Bristow. David later became sole proprietor and was subsequently joined by his son Guy as director.

In Yorkshire the company won the award for Craftsmanship in the 2012 Brick Awards for Tupgill Cellar near Middleham (pictured top). The judges said of that project: “It was obvious to pick Tupgill Cellar as the winner of its category. It is magical to look at. A wide variety of handmade specials were personally designed by the manufacturer and the result is outstanding.”

Other projects in Yorkshire that have achieved recognition in the awards include the refurbishment of the walled garden at Broughton Hall, near Skipton, which won the Best Landscape Project category in 2006. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Yorkshire Day marks the start of a heritage fest [

WITH 1 AUGUST being declared Yorkshire Day, it is fitting that this issue of Ecclesiastical and Heritage World should take a look at the heritage of the county and celebrate some of the more notable heritage projects taking place.

The Heritage Lottery Fund is encouraging people in Yorkshire to get down and dirty to find out more about their heritage, by funding the CITiZAN project nationwide.

From prehistoric sites through medieval manor houses to World War One barracks, Yorkshire’s archaeological heritage is being unearthed.

At Monk Fryston Hall in Selby, ice age artefacts were nearly missed as volunteers investigated Victorian features.

Project manager Ray Newton commented: “While excavating the site we have found two neolithic flint cores, brought from the Wolds dating from around 2,500BC. These items gave us an inkling that this waterside area has been used for a long time, but to find something which is clearly identifiable to everyone from the ice age is remarkable.”

In nearby Cawood local volunteers have been delving into the medieval past, hoping to uncover the de Cawood’s manorial home and find out more about their local fruit-growing heritage. The site still contains the original moat and platform, remains of water features and a pond. There are extensive remains of medieval ridge and furrow ploughing, rare in the agricultural Vale of York.

Meanwhile, for two weeks from Monday 10 August, a live archaeological dig has been uncovering the lost military training ground and barracks of the King’s Own Yorkshire Light Infantry, hidden beneath Doncaster. The dig is part of Doncaster 1914-18, a four-year centenary project.

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Stepney Station – Hull’s last urban station house building Another major project in the county to secure Heritage Lottery funding is Hull City Council’s Townscape Heritage Scheme for Beverley Road. The council has been awarded a grant of almost £1.6m for regeneration work.

The scheme will offer grants to property owners for urgent conservation repairs, including historic shop front restorations. It will also fund a series of boundary and public realm improvement works, as well as working with local schools and contractors to deliver heritage training and engagement opportunities.

The scheme aims to work with the owners of key buildings in the conservation area, including Stepney Station – Hull’s last urban station house building. The beautiful, but little known, Victorian station was designed by architect William Botterill and was opened in 1852-3. It is Grade Two listed and is currently owned by the Hull Anatolian Society, who have already carried out a large amount of work to save the building and to convert it into a community centre.

Uncovering the lost military Cllr Martin Mancey of the Beverley training ground and barracks of Road Town Heritage Initiative said: the King’s Own Yorkshire Light “This scheme will have a huge positive Infantry in Doncaster impact on the Beverley Road area and deliver much-needed investment and heritage-led regeneration for one of the city’s most important historic gateways. Beverley Road has been a major route into the city from at least the 14th century, and is still a key gateway for visitors and residents alike.” q

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Innovation built on tradition [AS CRAFTSMEN AND environmentalists

specification of glass, Touchstone’s Insulead® since the early eighties, West Yorkshire-based frameless glazing system and Steelyte® Touchstone Glazing Solutions, became frustrated opening casements deliver a no compromise by the basic truth that it was not possible to solution. enjoy the beauty and subtlety of authentic The comapny’s Insulead® frameless double leaded lights whilst at the same time insulating glazing system is fully drained and thermally historic buildings to the level required by the broken and allows historic buildings to be environmentally conscious. double glazed without damaging the historic Due to building regulations prohibiting the fabric of the building. use of single glazed leaded lights in new builds Due to the inherently flexible nature of the company saw the inevitable demise of the Touchstone’s glazing it is possible to construct leaded light industry and were faced with the virtually any shape and configuration of prospect of laying off staff. In response, they glazing required, therefore out of square and set about designing a window which would shaped windows can easily be accommodated not only meet modern building regulations but including the intricacies of a rose window. would save leaded light making skills for future The Steelyte® opening casements are generations. stainless steel, fully weather-stripped and Touchstone’s Insulead® frameless double Drawing on over a quarter of a century of thermally broken. They have the narrowest of glazing system was used at Hetton Methodist Church in North Yorkshire experience in the craft of stained glass and a sightlines – an impressive 35mm overall. profound knowledge of what is crucial to make Touchstone’s glazing has been fitted a good window, Touchstone believe they have created a window that looks in Grade II and II* listed buildings and on some projects has been as beautiful and attractive as a traditional leaded light whilst offering the approved by Historic England. absolute best of insulating properties.

The company believe it is now possible to care for the environment, Combining the skills and knowledge acquired over many years of leaded the delicate fabric of historic buildings and, not least, the comfort of the light making, they have created a collection of products that perform the people who live and work in our heritage every day. q difficult task set of them – nearly indistinguishable from a traditional leaded light, handmade using only glass, lead, steel and a craftsman’s skill, • For further information call 01484 400023 or visit the website at they provide insulation to the highest standard BFRC ‘A’ rated. With any www.touchstoneglazing.co.uk.

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Preserving Yorkshire’s historic roofs

By NICK BROOKS, a director at Sheffield-based roofing specialists, Martin-Brooks

[

HERITAGE ROOFERS HAVE a unique view of our architectural legacy – both literally and figuratively.

Surveying these historic gems from the top down heightens your appreciation of the skill and sheer determination of those who conceived such ornate structures and wrestled them into life.

The roof is a vital component of any construction and proactive maintenance is commonplace in managed properties. However, repairs can often be overlooked by private owners until problems occur and major works are then required.

Ecclesiastical and heritage buildings must always be restored sympathetically by skilled craftsmen who understand the materials and construction techniques used originally.

When sourcing appropriate tradesmen, the National Federation of Roofing Contractor’s (NFRC) heritage register is a good place to start.

Martin-Brooks has been a member for years and we have specialists in traditional methods of repair, including diminishing course roofs, decorative lead work and lime pointing.

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Key to all historic projects is to salvage anything that can be reused and, where possible, replicate the original construction. Modern products – breather membranes, copper or aluminium nails and insulations – may be introduced instead of, or alongside, more traditional materials to bring thermal performance and durability up to current standards.

Lead theft is prolific in the heritage sector, so much so that we have been called to as many as three churches a month to deal with problems ranging from missing flashing to the complete removal of large flat roofs.

The replacement costs are massive and many sites are now installing stainless steel, which is a good alternative, but it cannot compete for quality and longevity.

The wonderful buildings of our past are extremely important to British history and we are dedicated to ensuring this essential part of our built environment remains ever present. q • For more information about Martin-Brooks’ heritage work, telephone 0114 244 7720 or visit www.martin-brooks.co.uk.

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

New diocese hits the jackpot: three times over [

THE CHURCH OF England’s newest diocese is celebrating a plethora of grant awards for its churches and cathedrals.

West Yorkshire and the Dales was formed in April last year, following the dissolution of Bradford, Ripon and Leeds, and Wakefield. Now, its cathedrals and churches have been awarded grants from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund, Chancellor George Osborne’s Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund and, most latterly, the Heritage Lottery Fund.

Wakefield Cathedral has been awarded £72,000 for conservation and repair of three east end stained glass windows. Ripon Cathedral, whose Saxon crypt is the oldest feature of any cathedral in England, has been granted £19,208 for urgent repairs to the glazing of 35 of its historic windows. The grant, awarded in March, is the second the cathedral has received from the fund.

The Dean of Ripon, The Very Revd John Dobson said: “I am delighted that while the project to repair high level stonework is getting underway thanks to our first grant from the WWI Centenary Fund, this second grant now makes it possible to do urgent repair work on these windows.”

Work will start soon on the second phase of Wakefield Cathedral’s redevelopment project. Called Project 2015, it is a £2.2m refurbishment of the east end of the Grade One-listed building and this latest award gives an extra boost to that project.

Also in March, Chancellor George Osborne announced the first round of beneficiaries from the Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund, including 12 from the West Yorkshire and the Dales diocese. Skipton

Ripon Cathedral has been granted £19,208 for urgent repairs to the glazing of 35 of its historic windows alone is home to three of the beneficiaries.

A further seven churches in the diocese received almost £1m in funding from the HLF round of awards in March. Four were from the Places of Worship Round One grants, while a further three were from the Our Heritage Awards. They include an organ restoration and a churchyard. q

Preserving the timeless beauty of Scagliola [

BASED IN LEEDS,The Scagliola Company is solely devoted to the manufacture, installation, conservation and restoration of Scagliola artefacts.

The company operates throughout the world on projects including private interiors, luxury hotels, stately homes and even super yachts.

Established in 1986, under the guidance of Michael Koumbouzis, the practice has been able to make the undeniable and timeless beauty of this high craft known to architects and designers.

The team also restores antique 18th and 19th century Scagliola in situ, offering analysis and report facilities, whilst smaller items are dealt with in their conservation studio. Full size architecturally bound column and pilasters, inlaid table tops, pedestals and cladding panels are within the normal scope of works.

The Scagliola Giallo Antiquo columns and pilasters pictured in the advert to the left are from a project at Dropmore House Scagliola retractable base in Buckinghamshire. This Grade One listed for Canova’s 3 Graces at property was devastated by fire in 1990 and the V&A, London Michael was commissioned to replicate the original Scagliola as closely as possible.

In close collaboration with John Brushe from English Heritage, and by salvaging fragments of the original Scagliola Giallo Antiquo dating from 1795, they created and installed these 21st century artefacts for future generations to enjoy. There are also two Scagliola Verde Antique columns in the dining room that have been constructed by Michael Koumbouzis and his team, this time closely resembling the Verde Antique columns at Syon House, Middlesex. For more information on Scagliola visit https://en.wikipedia.org/ wiki/Scagliola. q • For more information about The Scagliola Company visit their website at www.scagliolaco.com. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

York’s showpiece gallery re-opens with new ceramics centre

The new mezzanine gallery, with Helen Walsh, curator of ceramics (main image - by Kippa Matthews); the exterior of the redeveloped gallery (above right) and the Upstairs Gallery (images by Peter Heaton)

[ON 1 AUGUST York Art Gallery re-opened

following an £8m redevelopment project, which has seen the creation of major new gallery spaces and a new Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA) – home to the largest collection of British Studio Ceramics in the country.

The transformation of the 19th century Grade Two* listed building by international architects Ushida Findlay, in partnership with leading conservation specialists Simpson and Brown, will allow the gallery’s extensive collection of Old Masters to be displayed alongside significant contemporary art and major new commissions. The work was carried out by Yorkbased main contractor SIMPSON (York) Ltd.

New galleries on the first floor and in the original Victorian roof space are home to CoCA, where 2,000 of the gallery’s collection of more than 5,000 examples of British Studio Ceramics are now able to be displayed. The works span the period from the beginning of the 20th century to the present day and include pieces by such star names as Grayson Perry, Pablo Picasso, Bernard Leach, William Staite Murray, Felicity Aylieff, Lucie Rie, Hans Coper and Kate Malone.

Dr Janet Barnes CBE, CEO of York Museums Trust which owns and operates the gallery, said: “This development has seen York Art Gallery’s interior dramatically transformed, giving us

Collaboration leads to a lasting legacy [ AFTER WINNING A national competition, international architects Ushida

Findlay – well known for the ArcelorMittal Orbit in London – and Edinburgh-based Simpson and Brown Architects combined to work on the gallery’s transformation.

They added a mezzanine floor in the original Victorian roof void which had been hidden from public view for more than 50 years. Together with a first-floor extension, that has helped increase exhibition space by 60%.

Apart from restoring historical features of the 19th-century building, the architects also added more than 300 double-hexagon shaped ceramic tiles to the exterior of the extension. These were inspired by the unique paving on York’s streets, alluding to the unique style of paving known as ‘stable paviours’ or ‘rosemary setts’ used on numerous allies and back streets in the city.

During the latter stages of the project Kathryn Findlay sadly passed away thus leaving it as her final built work. q

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the space and conditions to show much more of our nationally designated works. It is now a fitting home for our collections, which rival the breadth and diversity of any regional gallery in the country. The opening displays will present the highlights, alongside significant loans and thought-provoking commissions which have seen artists create interesting and imaginative new works.

“One such piece, by Clare Twomey, stands in a new mezzanine gallery under the magnificent Victorian roof space, which has been revealed for the first time in 50 years. It is in this new space, and in a second new first-floor gallery, that we have created the Centre of Ceramic Art. This will be the dedicated home of the country’s largest and most diverse collections of British Studio Ceramics.”

The piece by renowned ceramicist Clare Twomey is a major new commission entitled Manifest: ten thousand hours. It is composed of 10,000 handmade slipcast ceramic bowls, identical in form and colour, piled high in towering columns. The precarious nature of the stacked works alludes both to how collections grow and the challenges this presents to collectors, and to the belief that it takes 10,000 hours of practice to become a master craftsman.

CoCA has been warmly welcomed by leading experts from the world of ceramics, including Edmund De Waal, the British artist and author of Hare with the Amber Eyes.

He commented: “The marvellgous new galleries that make up CoCA allow visitors and scholars to explore the passionate history of British ceramics. The span is encyclopaedic,

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Renowned ceramicist Clare Twomey with her new commission ‘Manifest 10,000 Hours‘image by Kippa Matthews spectacle alongside intimacy, story-telling alongside sculpture. Here private collections are made public: we are welcomed into a space where ceramics are given the value that they deserve. It’s a huge achievement. I love it.”

Another highlight of the re-opening is Halo, an installation by artist Susie MacMurray which was inspired by the gallery’s collection of Italian Renaissance altarpiece paintings with their intricate gold leaf. In Halo thousands of gold plated wire threads are textured to create the illusion of shimmering movement.

Other notable exhibits include: • The Lumber Room: Unimagined Treasures – an exhibition curated and created by Yorkbased artist Mark Hearld, featuring objects from across York Museums Trust’s collections, including oil paintings, works on paper, taxidermy and social history.

• The Anthony Shaw collection, on long term loan to the gallery, displayed by the collector in a domestic-style setting, as it was previously shown in Shaw’s home in London.

• A 17m-long ‘wall of pots’ displayed by colour to create a rainbow effect.

Other collections include the renowned Lycett Green collection of Italian Old Masters from the 14th to 18th centuries. The gallery’s own works by artists such as Bernardo Daddi, Bernardino Fungai and Parmigianino are complemented by significant loans from major public collections and contemporary commissions. Notable works by 20th century artists such as LS Lowry, Paul Nash, David Hockney, Walter Sickert, Sarah Lucas and Stanley Spencer are also on display, as well as works by William Etty, York’s most famous artist.

Outside, a new artists’ garden has been unveiled. The space, which has never been open to the public before, will in the future be home to specially commissioned artworks and link to new areas of the York Museum Gardens, including an ‘Edible Wood’. The gardens will be finished later in the year.

In the autumn of next year the gallery will be staging a major new exhibition, Flesh: Skin and Surface. Works of art from the gallery’s nationally designated collection will be displayed alongside loans from private and public collections in the UK and Europe. q

Prestige projects add to pride in place for local contractor [

THE MAIN CONTRACTOR on the York Art Gallery project was SIMPSON (York) Limited, who declared themselves ‘honoured to have been chosen’ for the prestigious £8m transformation of the gallery. This project has allowed the local contractor to use its own traditional craft skills with many of the artists’ exhibition stands, reception desks and shop retail units being manufactured in their bespoke joinery manufacturing facility in York.

SIMPSON have had a continual presence on the site following the completion of the refurbishment, undertaking the work to create the ‘artists’ garden’, as well as the significant enhancement of the facilities on offer to visitors to the Yorkshire Museum, York Art Gallery and Museum Gardens within the St Mary’s Abbey Precinct.

Works on the gardens has involved extending the designed landscape of the Museum Gardens, enhancing the botanical interest, creating recreational opportunities and educational/interpretative links with the collections and site history, as well as access and circulation within the gardens and the Abbey precinct.

SIMPSON have been very much part of the construction scene in Yorkshire and the surrounding areas over the years, restoring and enhancing its historic fabric, with their fit out works being carried out throughout the United Kingdom.

The latest commission to be announced was the new partnership with English Heritage, providing a new visitor facility at the prestigious Rievaulx Abbey. The works will include major improvements to the museum, presenting the story of Rievaulx and showcasing its role in England’s monastic history in a completely new way.

In addition to the new facilities, this project will enable the museum at Rievaulx to meet the criteria required to accept important artefacts from regional and national institutions. Other benefits will include an enlarged café, complete with views over the historic abbey. q • For further information visit www.simpsonyork.co.uk or follow on twitter @simpsonyorkltd.

www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Victorian columns restored at

York Art Gallery [A TEAM OF expert, traditional plasterers working at York Art

Gallery have restored two ornate Victorian columns back to their former glory as part of the ongoing refurbishment project at the venue.

The previously hidden columns, which date back to the building’s construction in 1879, have been given a new lease of life by craftsmen from Pudsey-based Ornate Interiors.

Ornate Interiors managing director, Ronnie Clifford, explained: “The two columns were obscured by cladding applied during a

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previous refurbishment of the venue and each originally featured four scroll effects and four ladies’ faces.

“These features, carved from sandstone, had been chiselled off to make the cladding process easier. However, we used the services of a modeller, renowned master carver Dick Reid employed by York Museum Trust who we have worked with many times, to make a clay mould insitu at the gallery. We then made a rubber mould at our workshop and used plaster cast to recreate to the original design.

“We sent this back to the modeller at his workshop to get rid of any

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

blemishes and imperfections. When these then came back to us, we once again re-cast them and then dressed the original stone back to enable us to re fit the eight new scrolls and faces return it to its original look,” added Ronnie, whose company has worked on many of the UK’s most iconic architectural landmarks.

Designed by York architect Edward Taylor, York Art Gallery opened its doors in 1879 to host the Yorkshire Fine Art and Industrial Exhibition. It is set to open in the summer after an extensive £8 million internal and external restoration lasting two and a half years.

A new mezzanine level is being incorporated to become a new first floor above the main gallery within the original roof space of the building and will form part of the Centre of Ceramic Art (CoCA).

Almost half (£3.5 million) of the funding came from the Arts Council through the National Lottery. Other significant tranches of finance for the works were provided by private legacy (£2 million), the City of York Council (£500,000) and the Anthony Shaw Trust (£400,000).

Ornate Interiors’ work at the venue, on behalf of contractor Simpson

of York, involved the reinstatement and restoration of mouldings using both fibrous and in-situ moulds. Additional traditional lime plastering placed upon brickwork and laths, along with some restoration of existing plasterwork, also formed part of their workload. q • For more details visit the websites www.ornateinteriors.co.uk and www.yorkartgallery.co.uk.

www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Masonry experts leave no stone unturned [

NORTH YORKSHIRE COMPANY Heritage Masonry is a team of experienced and highly-skilled stonemasons, who between them cover all areas of masonry, stone walling and cladding, offering a nationwide service.

The company, based in the historic town of Skipton, has many years of experience in the industry and has worked hard to build up a first-class reputation for the quality of the work and service it provides.

The National Trust, Woodland Trust and English Heritage figure among the large organisations they have worked with and they have recently contributed to a number of award-winning projects. These include a RIBA Regional Award winner, with ShedKM architects, and a RHS Chelsea Flower Show Gold Medal winner on behalf of L’Occitane.

Heritage Masonry employs only the highest trained tradesmen and works with the very best quality material available on the market, to ensure that they deliver an unparalleled level of quality and service for each and every job.

The company’s full range of services includes: • Dry Stone Walling – Heritage Masonry is one of just a handful of Dry Stone Walling Association-approved contractors across the UK. They use traditional techniques that have been handed down over centuries, in order to produce a 100% authentic finish.

• Restoration – the company’s craftspeople are well qualified to undertake full or partial restoration work on listed buildings. Their recent restoration of a Grade Two-listed weir (pictured above) is a perfect example of the complexity of work that they are able to undertake. The project received a

commendation award from English Heritage.

• Stone Masonry – Heritage Masonry undertake all kinds of stonemasonry, from simple stone features and cladding to new build projects and restoration. They only employ the most experienced masons, so no matter the size of a project, an expert will be on hand to complete the job.

• Landscaping – landscaping projects are also undertaken, particularly where stonework becomes a key feature within the garden. A garden built on behalf of L’Occitane en Provence won a Gold Medal at the 2012 RHS Chelsea Flower Show.

• Bespoke Stone Masonry – Heritage

Masonry offers a bespoke stonemasonry service to customers who are looking for something specific or unique. They have worked on a large number of those types of projects to date.

• Yorkshire Stone Sales – Heritage Masonry also offers a nationwide delivery service for their own, top-quality Yorkshire Stone.

The quality of the stone is such that it is often looked on favourably by planning committees for use on listed buildings and in conservation areas. q • For more information visit the website at www.heritagemasonryuk.co.uk.

www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

About Access is a step ahead in creating an inclusive world [A BUSY CHURCH in Bradford is looking to build its congregation

and community by embarking on a major improvement programme with the help of the Big Lottery Fund.

A key element of the bid by St John’s Church, in the Bowling area of the city, is the accessibility report which was produced by Hull based About Access.

As a member of the National Register of Access Consultants and the Access Association, About Access are recognised as a leader in advising on how to make sure buildings comply with access requirements under the Equality Act. But the company’s priority here, having been invited by Leeds-based architects Arctic Associates Ltd to assist with the project, was first and foremost to make it easier and safer for people to get in and out of the church and use its facilities.

They identified two areas of particular concern. The main entrance is by way of up steps into the door, through a small lobby and up more steps. The building’s toilets are down a flight of steps.

A two-piece, temporary metal ramp is available to help people negotiate the entrance steps, but each piece is very heavy and when they are on the floor they don’t lie flat. Also, using a temporary ramp like that creates problems if people have to leave quickly in an emergency.

The architect, Russell Trudgen, had good awareness of the likely issues and, after reviewing About Access’ report, made the changes that were necessary. Russell’s new design resolves the problems with the entrance by accommodating a permanent ramp of a suitable gradient and length. The toilets will be altered to bring them to the same level as

the rest of the interior, thereby removing the need for the steps.

Russell said: “The church wanted to bid for Big Lottery funding and we had to make sure the new scheme was fully compliant with the regulations so we asked About Access to cast an St John’s Church in Bradford eye over it.

“As a result of their experience they spotted some issues and made suggestions for adjustments that were easy to carry out. But with so many demands on resources you would not want to attempt a project like this without grants, and with any grant application you have to take account of public access and public use of the building.

“This is a very busy church. It has four congregations and two of them use it every week. It also has a lot of other groups who come in during the week, including indoor bowling. The report from About Access was very useful and if the grant application is approved we hope to be on site and in progress by July 2016.” q • For further information on how About Access can help you and your properties please contact Ian Streets, managing director, tel: 01482 651101, email: ian@aboutaccess.co.uk or visit the website at www.aboutaccess.co.uk.

The two areas identified as being of particular concern were the main entrance and that the building’s toilets are down a flight of steps

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Historic factory complex moves nearer to restoration and reuse [

IN JULY IT was announced that Carillion has been selected by Leeds City Council as the preferred bidder to deliver the restoration and regeneration of the Engine House, a Grade Two-listed building at the historic Tower Works site, which is at the heart of the ambitious Holbeck Urban Village project to regenerate the industrial origins of Leeds.

The Engine House is one of five listed structures remaining from a factory complex which once produced steel pins for the textile industry. It took its name from three Italianate towers which provided innovative filtration systems for the works. Built in 1899 to a design by William Bakewell, the Engine House retains historic features such as a partial mosaic floor, glazed white Burmantofts brickwork walls and a series of ten plaques displaying portraits of notable Victorian industrialists, including Tower Works owner and philanthropist Thomas Harding himself.

Carillion’s proposal involves bringing the historic building back into use as a restaurant and microbrewery bar on the ground floor with an art house cinema on the upper floor.

The Engine House fronts onto the Tower Works

master-plan’s new public piazza, ensuring that the site’s heritage is celebrated as well as providing a key element on the route through the site to the Leeds and Liverpool Canal.

In June restoration work began on the trio of

towers after which the Tower Works is named.

Steeplejacks scaled the Giotto Tower, Verona Tower and Little Tower to carry out extensive work including brickwork repointing and repairs.

Debris was removed from the base of the Giotto Tower and gold-coloured, glass tiles on its upper levels are being repaired and replaced.

The Giotto Tower, the largest of the three, is based on Giotto’s Campanile in Florence, while the Verona Tower takes its design from the Torre dei Lamberti in Verona. The Little Tower, the smallest of the three, is thought to mimic a traditional Tuscan tower house.

Cllr Richard Lewis, Leeds City Council’s executive member for regeneration, transport and planning, said: “The Italian towers at Tower Works are among the city’s most recognisable and unique landmarks and the site as a whole is a hugely important part of the city’s heritage.

“It is vital that we preserve buildings like this to protect the character of Leeds and so they can act as a catalyst for the sympathetic regeneration of neighbouring sites.” q

Ornamental plasterwork throughout Yorkshire

[

PICTURED ARE before (left) and after images of an ornate plaster panelled ceiling at a period property in York, restored by Leeds-based PJ Glover Coving and Cornice Ltd. The company, who are members of the Guild of Master Craftsmen, specialise in the manufacture and installation of contemporary, traditional and bespoke ornate plaster mouldings. They are experts in restoration work, matching to existing features, and stock a wide range of period and modern cornices.

Recent restoration projects include the Taverners Bar at Yorkshire County Cricket & Rugby Stadium, Farnley Hall in Otley, Huddersfield and Chester railway stations, York City Council main offices and Rossington Hall, Doncaster – as well as numerous prestigious properties and manor houses throughout the Yorkshire region.

Additionally, they also work on new building sites supplying and fixing features such as contemporary cornices and lighting troughs. q • For further information visit www.covingandcorniceltd.co.uk. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

What lies below is testament to heating installer’s expertise [

IN THE LAST issue of Ecclesiastical and Heritage World the cover story featured the restoration project at the Grade One-listed Church of St Andrew in Epworth, Lincolnshire – known as The Wesleys’ church. A longsuspected Saxon church had been found under the concrete floor when it was lifted for replacement with a more authentic stone floor.

The lifting of the floor provided the opportunity to replace the old heating system with an underfloor system. The installation of underfloor heating in Grade One-listed churches is often fraught with difficulty, so the opportunity to do so without disturbing the fabric was grasped.

The new system was installed by Yorkshire-

based Byfield Heating Ltd, specialists in underfloor installations.

The success of the project was not lost on another of North Lincolnshire’s Grade One listed churches. All Saints in Winterton also dates back to the Saxon period, although the present building is medieval. A major restoration project was needed and the same team appointed to carry it out as was successful in Epworth.

Work began on the internal re-ordering of All Saints in November last year, beginning with the archaeological investigation beneath the floor.

As with the Epworth project, a Saxon church was found together with other remains.

Byfields began the installation of the ductwork beneath the floor. Recycled glass was used with

Part of All Saints Church being screeded over the underfloor heating pipes (left) and the recycled glass insulation and underground ducts for joint free cables and pipes

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The full underfloor heating pipework a limecrete base, on which the trench ducts and the associated, unjointed cables and supply pipe were laid, pinned to the limecrete. Finally, a screed was laid over and stone tiles installed to provide an authentic floor.

The work on the heating is now approaching a conclusion and the church is back in use on a periodic basis.

Byfield Heating were a natural choice for the project. Their sympathetic approach to working in an architecturally rich environment has won many accolades from heritage and ecclesiastical architects and PCCs alike throughout the North of England.

Indeed, for many years the company has been privileged to work closely with heating advisors on the York, Wakefield, Bradford and Sheffield Diocesan Advisory Committees.

Being involved with these bodies and having a positive input into important decisions that affect our heritage is a constant source of satisfaction and pride. q

YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Ancient Qur’an pages go on display for first time Your trees are your responsibility [

[A NEW EXHIBITION at Leeds City Museum’s Voices of Asia gallery

features two pages taken from an 800-year-old copy of the Qur’an. The items, which went on show for the first time in July, form the highlight of the Faith in Focus: Islam exhibition.

Taken from a 13th-century copy of the text, both pages were purchased in 1951 from art collector Frank Savery. Their age and origin were confirmed at London’s Victoria and Albert Museum last year.

Specialist remounting by conservator Richard Hawkes has allowed both sides of the pages, which mainly show Surah’s 29 and 30, to be viewed by experts for the first time. Members of the public will be able to view the framed pages alongside a specially-prepared presentation showing the alternate side of each one.

Richard said: “This is the earliest example of paper that I have worked on, all earlier pieces I have come across have been parchment or papyrus.

“It was an honour to remount such beautiful burnished paper with its ink calligraphy where the black is due to iron as well as carbon, the gold is gold leaf and the blue is ultramarine.”

He added: “The previous acidic mounts and the old adhesives were removed, whilst older repairs were left in place as part of the pages’ history, improving support with Japanese tengujo paper where necessary. The new mounts are acid-free 100% cotton, and the paper is attached using Japanese gampi silk tissue, with a sheet of 1.5mm acrylic protecting the verso and allowing it to be viewed.”

Leeds Museums and Galleries curator of world cultures, Antonia Lovelace, said: “It’s marvellous to see the other side of these Qur’an pages for the first time and to know that we can display the pages more safely and appropriately in the new display.”

The display runs for a year. q

OF THE MANY responsibilities of a church authority or parish council, one of the easiest to overlook is responsibility for trees in and around the churchyard. That responsibility is both for the health of the tree itself and for damage or injury caused in the event of the tree or branches falling.

According to Boroughbridge-based arboricultural consultants Barnes and Associates: “If you do not have a tree policy, you are vulnerable in the event of a failure.”

Barnes and Associates advise on the legal requirements for undertaking tree surveys and offer tree risk assessments to churches, parish councils and other building owners. Each survey is tailored to the client’s individual needs and budget. For example, trees can be individually surveyed or surveyed according to ‘risk’ zones defined by use or value – the latter method is quicker and more cost effective.

According to the company: “Assessment of the health or structural integrity of trees can be achieved in various ways, from a visual tree assessment that explores the body language of the tree, through to various non-invasive technologies, which can explore internal condition, tree stability and vitality to help inform an assessment of the tree’s safety.

“Early identification of a pest, disease, biotic or abiotic factors can be significant to longer-term tree health, and is therefore essential to ensure that trees are as safe as is reasonably practicable.”

Sometimes individual trees require further specialist investigation.

That would be detailed in the tree survey and could involve internal scans. Barnes and Associates are specialists in the use of PiCUS Sonic Tomograph and PiCUS Treetronic Tomograph, which use sound waves and electrical impedance respectively to provide internal scans of trees.

The technology enables the surveyor to ascertain the safe retained wood of the tree, often enabling them to be saved instead of removed.

The survey enables a church or other owner to implement a tree risk assessment.

Although there is no definitive set of rules describing the detail of tree management necessary to meet a duty of care, if harm arises from a tree failure the courts will review your tree policy.

As Barnes and Associates point out: “To have no documentation in place is not an excuse.” q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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YORKSHIRE SPOTLIGHT

Glass artist shines a light on notable events [

and the airfield, and is also dedicated to the memory of Edward Petre YORK-BASED stained glass artist Ann Sotheran has more than who attempted to fly solo in a monoplane from London to Edinburgh in 25 years experience of designing and making stained glass for a 1912, but lost his life in a storm over Marske. The window is due to be wide range of locations. She works in the traditional English method installed in the church there in mid-September. q of stained glass making, selecting and cutting glass from hand-made sheets sourced from English Antique Glass at Alvechurch, Lamberts in Germany and St Just in France, along with precious remnants of glass once made by Hartley Woods in Sunderland.

The glass may be acid etched, painted and stained before being leaded. Ann prefers to do all the work herself as then she can make artistic decisions at each and every stage of the process.

Elected a Fellow of the British Society of Master Glass Painters in 2007, Ann began her career working for several years as studio assistant to Harry Harvey FMGP before setting up on her own in 1987. Since then her work has taken her to widely The window at Low Catton, near York, commemorating the lives of a local farming family (left), and the flung parts of the country: for central detail of the window at The World of James Herriot in Thirsk instance, Millennium windows were made for Berwick-on-Tweed in Northumbria and Bunbury in Cheshire amongst others.

Much of Ann’s work in churches consists of personal memorial windows dedicated to the memory of those who loved and served their own parishes and congregations. Examples of these can be found in locations scattered across North Yorkshire and beyond. A window at Low Catton, near York, remembers the lives of a local farming family, with its evocation of the cycle of growth throughout the year.

Not all of Ann’s work is connected to churches. In 1999 a window was made for The World of James Herriot in Thirsk, which overlooks the main street and shows the landscape of the area with the iconic white horse at its centre.

Up-coming projects include a window – which is in progress at the time of writing – commemorating the lives of the early aviation pioneers who trained at Marske, near Redcar on the North East coast. The design shows several World War One aircraft circling the sky above the town

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A county that’s big on heritage [THE FORMER RIDINGS of

Yorkshire contain a plethora of heritage sites spanning almost all of the documented past of these isles, some of which witnessed seminal moments in the nation’s history. It was within the county’s boundaries, at the Synod of Whitby in AD664, that the struggle for supremacy between Celtic and Roman Christianity was settled, and it was in Yorkshire that the final battle between the Saxons and the Vikings took place.

Yorkshire boasts a long list of military sites and visitor attractions. The Yorvik Museum catalogues the Viking kingdom in the North, while Leeds was an apt choice for the Royal Armouries Museum. Castles abound, dating in some cases from William the Conqueror’s Harrying of the North.

More recently, in 1895, the George Hotel in Huddersfield is where the argument over professional rugby was settled and the forerunner of the Rugby Football League founded.

To many Yorkshire is epitomised by the Industrial Revolution. The many textile factories may have gone, with the industry more or less extinct in the county, but many of the buildings remain. In particular, Saltaire village near Bradford is a UNESCO World Heritage site. It is one of two in the county: the other being Fountains Abbey and Studley Royal Park in Ripon.

In all, Yorkshire contains over 2,600 scheduled ancient monuments – 14% of England’s total, according to Welcome to Yorkshire. With the huge number of historic sites concentrated within its borders it is a county that Ecclesiastical and Heritage World will be visiting again in the future. q

Planning permission granted for

Christ Church visitor centre

[

PURCELL HAS SUCCESSFULLY gained planning permission to transform a redundant thatched barn in the grounds of Christ Church, Oxford into a new visitor centre including an interpretation area, a shop and a café. Oxford City Council’s west area planning committee approved the plans in June 2015 and work is scheduled to commence mid 2016.

The project will enhance the visitor experience at Christ Church and enable the Chapter House, which is currently used as a tourist shop, to be restored. This will be used for lectures, seminars and concerts.

The early 19th century thatched barn, which has been unused for many years, will be extended for the conversion project. The building is located in a 46 acre Meadow that lies to the south of the college and is bordered by the Thames and the Cherwell rivers. Christ Church is Oxford’s most visited paid-for attraction, receiving around 440,000 visitors a year – with around one million people visiting the Meadow every year.

New facilities will comprise a ticketing area, a shop relocated from the Chapter House, a café and a range of new facilities for the site maintenance team. One of the highlights of the scheme are the new interpretation facilities that will inform visitors about the history of the Meadow and the college.

The historic setting has been taken into account during each stage of the design process and has informed the material choice for the new works. The use of traditional building forms and materials will ensure that the additions look integrated with the setting. The thatched barn, which is currently an isolated building, will maintain its importance thanks to the subservient nature of the new development.

The approaches from the urban environment to the rural setting have been carefully assessed to help frame the views of the Meadow through the location and orientation of the new additions. This approach has been recognised as a defining principle for the shop/ticketing area.

Alain Torri, project architect from Purcell, commented: “This is one of the most challenging developments we have ever worked on due to the sensitivity of the site and other planning constraints. In turn this has created the opportunity to produce a highly contextual design which we are very excited to deliver. It will be a great facility that everyone coming into the Meadow will be able to enjoy.” q

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Midlands bound: CRE continues its journey [BIRMINGHAM’S NEC provides the next

stop on the onward march of the Christian Resources Exhibition. The venue will be the location for CRE Midlands from 7-8 October, which will include a unique exhibition of Christian resources with over 180 exhibitors expected.

An extensive range of books, music and other resources will be available to buy, together with the latest multimedia equipment, with expert advice on hand.

This year’s exhibition will be opened from the Spotlight Stage in the UCB Cafe by Bishop Dr Joe Aldred

In addition there will be a full seminar programme, with over 40 practical and resourcing seminars. Christian theatre and music will once more by showcased: in fact, no other event provides such a remarkable range of seminars, workshops, theatre and church resources. The event is truly an experience not to be missed.

The exhibition will be opened from the Spotlight Stage in the UCB Cafe by Bishop Dr Joe Aldred. Dr Aldred will also be talking about his new book, From Top Mountain, the story of one man’s journey from humble beginnings in the Jamaican countryside, through the challenges of migration and settlement in a racialised environment, to the status of a respected – sometimes controversial – community and religious leader, broadcaster, ecumenist, speaker and writer.

While the principal thrust of the exhibition and seminar programme is the availability of resources for promulgating the Christian message, a distinct proportion is concerned with equipping and maintaining the church building itself. Visitors will find heating and seating systems, sound and lighting, specialist architects able to carry out the all-important quinquennial inspection and, of course, the broad spectrum of trades able to carry out repairs and restoration.

The practicalities of building projects are the subject of a comprehensive seminar by Jim Hammett and Nigel Walter of Churchbuild.

Church building projects – how to make them happen! takes a step-by-step look at how to ensure that the vision stays alive and the outcome enables the mission. It will cover vision, design, engaging professionals and finding funds.

The pomp and ceremony of the traditional church is also represented by artists and craftspeople who create the vestments and paraphernalia for services.

Delivering the message in an entertaining way is always a subject that attracts a lot of attention. At CRE Midlands there will be a number of showcases for spreading the word.

They range from the UK Christian Film Festival Preview Theatre to traditional music and theatre performances at the CRE Midlands Arts Theatre, to stand-up comedy and even how to include puppets in ministry. Mission need never be dull.

In the 21st century, delivery of that message is also increasingly done via the internet, so having the right online presence can be crucial. How to create the best website for your church shares success stories and tips on what to include and what to avoid. It is led by Kyle Cottington of Church Edit Websites, who has more than 12 years of working with church websites. q

New label marks a Red Letter Day for Christian music [WHEN US SOCIAL justice campaigner Tony Campolo visited CRE in

2013 he had no idea his talks would lead to the birth of a record company!

Campolo called visitors to get back to the very words of Jesus – provoking a British pastor to set up a label devoted to Campolo’s vision. The new company, Red Letter Music, is part of a ‘hidden’ aspect of CRE: bringing together Christians of different backgrounds, skills and visions on an exhibition floor.

Red Letter Music was launched by Chris Demetriou, a major music producer before becoming a church pastor. He aims to provide a launch pad for the fresh, unheard talent in UK churches.

“The words of Jesus, often printed in red in the Gospels, remain the most radical spoken since ‘Let There Be Light’,” explained Demetriou.

“We are a rallying point for a new generation of voices declaring the red letters of Jesus.”

Red Letter Music’s first album of worship songs, Colour of Love, was premiered at CRE International at London’s ExCeL in May. Produced in association with CRE and Bible Society, the album showcases a number of new worship leaders and songwriters.

Uplifting and heartfelt, Colour of Love features Xana, Cornerstone, Adam and Kid, Jake Jon and Brian Martin.

Said Demetriou: “We aim to provide a platform for new Christian artists to be heard, bring new talent and new energy not just to the Christian market but to ‘Go into all the world…’. We believe that change is a powerful tool and red is its colour. It’s bold, it’s loud and its voice is a constant echo through the pages of time, waiting for those who dare to ride the wave.” q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Taking church lighting to the next level of innovation [LIGHTING DYNAMICS UK, based in Sutton Coldfield, West

Midlands, continue their development as one of the UK’s premier companies specialising in the interior and exterior illumination of cathedrals, churches and other places or worship throughout the UK and Ireland.

The company is dedicated to offering a totally independent, creative, unbiased lighting design and consultancy service and as required, they can also supply of all the associated and specified lighting equipment.

Lightning Dynamics has a long established reputation for creating practical and architecturally sympathetic lighting schemes and, wherever possible, discreet lighting equipment is specified and installed to produce suitable levels of illumination and to highlight both ecclesiastical details and any special architectural features.

St Giles RC Church in Cheadle is one of Lighting Dynamics’ recently completed projects

A selection of recently completed church projects include: • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •

St Alban & St Patrick, Highgate (pictured above) St Mary’s, Acocks Green All Saints, Small Heath St Francis of Assisi, Bournville St Peter’s, Balsall Common St Giles RC, Cheadle St Clydawg, Clodock St Michael’s, Michaelchurch Escley St Peter’s, Pedmore, Stourbridge St Peter & St Paul, Buckingham St John the Baptist, Spalding St Mary’s, Stafford Our Lady of Angels RC, Stoke on Trent St Mary the Virgin, Carleton St James, West Malvern St Peter’s, Yaxley, Peterborough St Margaret’s, Hemingford Abbots St Mary’s, Cromford Christ Church, Appleton le Moors St Cross, Appleton Thorn St Mary the Virgin, Kirtlington, Oxon

Company founder, Gerry Browne, told Ecclesiastical and Heritage World: “Our comprehensive range of modern, energy saving, long life lighting equipment is manufactured from the highest quality materials and takes into consideration many important factors such as reliability, durability, optical performance, overall efficiency, size, style and ease of maintenance – to name but a few.

“We have recently launched a brand new family of the very latest bespoke ‘commercial grade’ LED fittings, specially designed for all types of ecclesiastical lighting tasks. This range of products has been under development for some considerable time and takes our overall lighting portfolio to the next level of technical innovation. We also have an unrivalled knowledge and expertise of all modern intelligent dimming and lighting control systems.”

The company has a significant number of very prestigious church lighting projects currently in progress – with a large number at advanced stages of planning and design. Gerry Browne believes that this is a very exciting time in the further development of church lighting, especially with such a great and diverse range of modern light sources now coming on stream.

“Customers are increasingly looking for someone with the flair and experience to provide a quality lighting design, whilst also specifying top grade lighting equipment and controls that will provide longevity, reliability and overall flexibility for their specific ecclesiastical project,” he said.

“In the main, clients no longer wish to see their completed church lighting project looking like an extension of somebody’s lighting showroom or lit with industrial style floodlights to resemble a railway marshalling yard. However, this is a long term process which involves educating, informing and demonstrating what can be achieved.”

Lighting Dynamics UK has, if required, a fully qualified team of NIC EIC registered electricians to carry out the installation of their interior and exterior lighting systems to current electrical standards and regulations, providing the complete lighting service.

They cover all of the UK and Ireland and provide a very bespoke service for each individual church lighting project, from initial meeting right through to final focusing and commissioning. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Daughter’s memory kept alive as 30 years in business are marked [ECCLESIASTICAL FURNITURE specialists

Paul and Ruth Fuller have marked the 30th anniversary of their company, Fullers Finer Furniture, by raising thousands of pounds for the local children’s hospice in their home town of Weston-super-Mare.

The family-run company staged a fundraising tennis event at their local club in memory of their daughter Naomi, who suffered from the genetic disorder Trisomi 13, or Patau syndrome.

The fundraiser was the brainchild of their tennis player son Oliver and was dubbed Volley with Ollie. At the event Oliver, aged 14 played for eight hours against 19 opponents.

Supporters could also test the speed of their serves and try out ‘tennis skittles’.

Said Paul Fuller: “We were trying to think of what we could do to celebrate 30 years of the business and when Oliver came up with the idea of a charity tennis event it all seemed to fit.

Children’s Hospice South West was the obvious choice as they have supported us and Naomi so much.”

The family would spend a fortnight of respite per year at the hospice’s Little Bridge House.

Sadly, Naomi passed away last year, aged 17.

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Fullers Finer Furniture has been producing furniture for churches for almost all of its 30year existence.

Paul continued: “When I started the business back in 1985, one of my first commissions was to design and make a lectern for a local church. Then in 1996 we exhibited at The National Christian Resources Exhibition and from there we have taken on more and more

Naomi Fuller

Paul and Ruth Fuller and volunteers ecclesiastical work. At present over 90% of all our work is for the church.”

There have been some noteworthy customers, as Paul explained: “We design all kinds of church furniture, from communion trays to communion tables. One of our designer lecterns, The Canterbury, has been used by former Archbishops of Canterbury and HM The Queen. The actor and comedian Steve Coogan even owns one which he uses in his stand-up shows.”

Money is still coming in for Volley with Ollie, which to date has raised over £4,500 for Children’s Hospice South West and E&H World readers are invited to add to the total.

Paul concluded: “Anyone wishing to donate to such a fantastic charity can do so by going to www.virginmoneygiving.com/oliverfuller.” q

Arts theatre brings theatre and music to

CRE

[COMBINING ENTERTAINMENT WITH the search for new

resources is the CRE Midlands Arts Theatre. A full programme of theatre and music showcases the range of offerings that can add to the attraction of the Christian experience.

4Front Theatre Company show how performance can help in Bringing the Bible to Life for people of all ages. They will be staging their show on 7 October at 11am.

Lunchtime Worship on both days will be led by Sandra Godley, recipient of the 2014 Woman in Music Award from the annual Wise Woman Awards. Sandra has also received a MOBO nomination for Best Gospel Act after the release of her album Miracle.

The Hour of Entertainment, from 2-3pm, takes talented comedians, singers and actors and puts them together with God in Mind. It is hosted by motivational speaker Tom Elliott and features the Searchlight Theatre Company and the Covenant Players along with special musical guest Elaine Christian.

Eric Reverence works with a multi-cultural team of talented singers and musicians who are in tune with his vision to lead others to a life of true worship. They will be performing at 3pm on both days.

Also on both days, at noon, international worship leader, music pastor, songwriter and producer Noel Robinson will be pursuing his mandate to see the body of Christ rise up in worship, intercession and unity in this generation.

IDMC Gospel Choir (Individuals Dedicated to the Ministry of Christ) is a group of young people with a strong contagious urban contemporary gospel sound. They will be bringing their energy and strong message of love, hope, joy and peace for everyone to the stage at 11am on 8 October. q

Ball set to get them rolling in the aisles [A FEATURE OF CRE that has become an

established favourite over recent years is the Stand Up for Jesus event – a one-day comedy workshop at the show that introduces a group of clergy and lay preachers to professional techniques of comedy presentation.

CRE Midlands will see the workshop, on 7 October, joined by famous comedians Bobby Ball (pictured) and Don Maclean – both of whom have committed themselves to spreading the Christian word.

Bobby Ball is originally from Oldham and is perhaps best known as one half of the double act Cannon and Ball, whose ITV show ran for nine years between 1979 and 1988.

More recently he has been seen in Last of the Summer Wine, Heartbeat and Not Going Out. He became a Christian in the 1980s.

“I’ve not had the chance to visit a Christian Resources Exhibition before, but now is the right time with comedy a major theme at the event,” he said. “I like to show people that being a Christian is not boring. In fact it’s the

opposite; God wants us to have fun, laugh and enjoy this wonderful life he has given us.

Standing up for Jesus, whether you’re a standup comedian or a stand-up clergyperson, is not an easy option, but having the resources

to do it better can make all the difference. I’m looking forward to discovering a few more at the NEC.” Don MacLean is a more familiar face at CRE, having helped open shows in the past.

The former children’s TV personality hosted Radio 2’s Good Morning Sunday for 15 years and was made a Papal Knight in 2012.

Stand Up for Jesus will be led by Bentley Browning, who believes Jesus was a master communicator and storyteller.

“Many suggest his allusion to a camel going through the eye of a needle would have been construed as a quip by those listening,” said Browning, a regular performer on the standup comedy circuit. “The course is a lot of fun and will help anyone wishing to develop communication skills.”

Members of the clergy and lay preachers interested in taking part in Stand Up for Jesus should email creadmin@creonline.co.uk.

There is no cost to take part but numbers are limited. q www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Inspection scheme improves access to

specialist fire safety expertise [THE INTRODUCTION OF The Regulatory

Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 re-emphasised the need for adequate fire safety measures in older buildings and those of special interest.

There was already a significant level of awareness that standards of fire compartmentation in heritage buildings may not be adequate for many varied reasons.

Indeed, with particular regard to fire doors, English Heritage produced the 1997 guide Timber panelled doors and fire. That detailed and practical document addressed the issue of fire separation performance of existing doors while recognising the important need to achieve improved levels of performance in accordance with the principles of minimum intervention and reversibility.

Those principles remain and the document, although 18 years old, is still used as an excellent resource; but things have moved

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on since 1997. The fire door industry has invested heavily and achieved improvements in product performance, so that where upgrading works are required, access to dedicated highperformance products is widely available.

Back in 1997, of course, access to competent and suitable contractors to carry out upgrading

works was very limited. Since the introduction of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS) in 2012 that situation has improved markedly and building owners and operators have access to certificated fire door inspectors (CertFDI) who possess the specialist knowledge to inspect fire doors, advise on upgrading methods and manage remedial work.

The result is that today the ‘responsible person’ managing fire safety in church and heritage buildings is much better placed to access competent professionals that can ensure the suitability and compliance of upgrading work on fire doors. That in turn makes improvements in passive fire safety not only possible but of a higher performance standard than ever. q • Further information can be found at the website www.fdis.co.uk.

Fire doors, escape doors and the legal obligations NEIL ASHDOWN, general manager of the Fire Door Inspection Scheme (FDIS), explains fire safety law, explores the issues around fire doors in public buildings and the useful resources available to help building owners and operators meet their legal obligations.

[

SINCE 2013, WHEN the first pioneer FDIS-certificated fire door inspectors qualified and started to offer their services to building operators, there has been a marked increase in demand for the services of qualified fire door inspectors, installers, repairers and maintainers. This has in turn led to increased demand for education and training and is a positive step in helping to make buildings safer in the event of a fire.

The introduction of the Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005 placed a legal responsibility on those having control of a building to ensure that all reasonable precautions have been taken to ensure the safety of people in or around the building. That legislation, often called the Fire Safety Order, refers to all buildings other than inside people’s private dwellings and places a legal obligation on the building operator to appoint a ‘responsible person’, who must carry out a suitable and sufficient assessment of the risks that fire and smoke may present to the building, its occupants and users. That has led to numerous businesses offering their services as ‘fire safety experts’. Unfortunately, not all are as expert as they claim to be, resulting in prosecutions of building owners as well as the person or business claiming to be competent to provide fire safety advice, servicing and maintenance.

The Fire Safety Order places a legal duty on the ‘responsible person’ to appoint such ‘competent persons’ as are necessary to assist them in implementing fire safety measures. It is essential that such competences can be identified, so that building operators can access the right people to achieve a genuine improvement in their fire safety measures. Where building operators have failed to comply, local fire and rescue services have brought prosecutions, resulting in heavy fines, imprisonment and buildings being closed down. The courts take fire safety breaches very seriously indeed.

So, when it comes to fire doors, as managers controlling buildings of historic and cultural importance, what can be done and what resources are available to improve fire safety?

Compartmentalisation is the most effective means of restricting fire and smoke spread, thus reducing the risk to lives and property in a fire. It is provided by the fabric of a building in its walls, floors and ceilings, which provide a natural barrier to fire and smoke. A fire door, of course, is potentially a large hole in the wall and therefore needs to self-close correctly and provide adequate fire and smoke separation when closed. That would seem obvious, but inspectors often find fire doors that fail to close correctly – an issue that must be addressed as a priority maintenance issue. Many doors in historic buildings were not constructed as fire doors and have no fire rating. It is with regard to identifying and providing best practice solutions to these issues that the CertFDI fire door inspector can help.

First of all we need to identify where fire doors are required to protect escape routes and also to restrict fire and smoke spread, helping to keep people safe until they can be safely evacuated. A good example

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here would be buildings that provide accommodation, particularly for vulnerable people. Fire doors may also be necessary to protect other parts of the building or valuable assets from damage caused by fire and smoke spread.

Inspectors report that doors are often marked as fire doors even though they are not required to be fire doors and by

identifying where doors do not need to be fire doors we can reduce maintenance costs. Every door in a building represents a maintenance issue and fire doors require more expert attention than ordinary doors, so identifying a strategy for fire and smoke compartmentalisation is an important first step.

Once we have identified the doors that need to be fire doors we need to ensure they are fit for purpose. That is a legal obligation, a social obligation and, of course, it is also good housekeeping – in a fire it would repay any time and money spent many times over.

The CertFDI qualified fire door inspector is the ‘competent person’ referred to in the Fire Safety Order; but as well as helping to provide legal compliance they can help where a building operator is unsure about the likely fire separation performance of doors in historic buildings. For heritage and conservation reasons it may not be possible to replace existing doors or alter their features: in such cases there are methods for upgrading fire performance using techniques that will retain the door’s appearance. For example, in many cases it is possible to conceal intumescent protection Correctly specified, installed and maintained fire doors will provide amazing levels of protection. These doors exceeded fire performance requirements during a fire that broke out on Boxing Day and self-closing devices so that

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the door’s aesthetics remain unspoilt. Over-veneering products such as Pyroplaque or Fireface can also provide sympathetic upgrading solutions. The inspector will be able to advise on suitable upgrading methods and recommend products with proven fire performance test evidence.

Glazing is another area where fire separation performance may be improved. It is essential that glass in fire doors and any adjacent glazed panels is suitable and installed correctly. Inspectors are often finding that the glass installed has only an impact rating and does not offer any evidence of fire performance. Recent years have seen improvements in fire performance and it is now possible to provide insulating glazing which limits heat transference as well as providing fire integrity. It is essential that glazing in fire compartments is correctly identified and where fire resistance is necessary the glazing system must be installed competently.

Door hardware is another key factor in a fire door’s performance.

Correct selection, installation and maintenance of hinges and selfclosing devices, for example, is essential in providing adequate fire performance. Escape doors must have suitable and effective escape hardware and signage. Only by engaging competent persons with suitable qualifications can we be sure that fire doors and escape doors can provide adequate protection levels.

The CertFDI qualified fire door inspector will have undergone a comprehensive education programme overseen by the Fire Door Inspection Scheme, with a final examination and threeyearly assessments by its third-party accreditation partner Exova WarringtonFire. A joint initiative by the British Woodworking Federation’s Certifire Scheme and the Guild of Architectural Ironmongers, the FDIS provides education and qualifications for all types of persons responsible for inspection, maintenance and installation of fire doors. q • Find your nearest CertFDI fire door inspector at www.fdis.co.uk/ inspector. For details about education programmes visit www.fdis.co.uk.

Oak veneered door with feature glazed vision panel

Fire Door Inspection quality, service and compliance [AS A RESPONSIBLE person you have a duty to comply with the

Regulatory Reform (Fire Safety) Order 2005. One of the obligations is to ensure fire and escape doors are in a suitable condition – and that is where Rochdale based Cavanagh Consulting can help with straight talking, no nonsense service from qualified professionals.

The company’s FDIS Certified Fire Door Inspectors are also qualified joiners who have previously manufactured and installed fire doors and doorsets. As well as understanding the technical requirements for fire doors, they also have practical hands on experience of fitting doors.

They can not only tell you what is wrong with your fire doors, but can also advise on the most effective and practicable solution with regard to rectifying any inconsistencies found.

Cavanagh Consulting inspectors carry out fire door inspections on a range of buildings across the country and their long term clients get reliable service and practical, usable information with regard to the fire doors installed on site.

The company prides itself on not simply providing an ‘off the shelf’ service. They tailor fire door inspections to your exact requirements and provide the subsequent reports in a format that best suits you – the customer. They can assist and advise on formulating an asset register to make the long term management of fire doors within your property less of a headache. q • For quality, service and compliance with the RRO contact enquiries@ cavanaghconsulting.co.uk or visit www.cavanaghconsulting.co.uk. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Advanced protection for Magna Carta

[ONE OF THE most famous historical

documents in Britain, if not the western world, is being protected by extinguishing and fire alarm panels from Advanced with installation by Reflex Systems.

Sealed by King John at Runnymede in 1215, Magna Carta is celebrating its 800th anniversary – the actual anniversary is 15 June. It is the first example of an absolute monarch surrendering some of his powers, the beginning of a process that led eventually to our current system of government and the prototype for democratic government all over the world.

The version protected by Advanced is particularly precious being one of only four surviving original 1215 Magna Carta sealed

by King John and is kept in a special vault at Lincoln Castle, itself a Scheduled Monument, alongside Magna Carta’s sister document The Charter of the Forest (1217).

Lincoln Castle, one of the best preserved in England, was constructed in the 11th century by William the Conqueror and is one of only two to have two mottes.

The fire and suppression systems installed by long-time Advanced partner Reflex Systems incorporate two MxPro 5 panels in the main heritage centre and the former Victorian prison building, which closed in 1878. Advanced’s ultra-dependable ExGo extinguishant release system has been installed in the Magna Carta vault.

ExGo has been developed specifically for sensitive and strategic assets such as server

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rooms, historic and cultural attractions and control rooms. It has been installed in high-profile buildings across the globe, including the Romanian National Library and along oil pipelines in Sudan.

MxPro is the industry-leading multiprotocol fire system. Offering real choice and flexibility, it includes two panels ranges, the EN54-2&4 approved MxPro 4 and EN54-2,4&13 approved MxPro 5. It offers four protocols – Apollo, Argus, Hochiki and Nittan – and a completely open installer network that benefits from free training and technical support.

John Pye, managing director of Reflex Systems, said: “Lincoln Castle required an open protocol fire system and we knew that Advanced panels could deliver maximum reassurance and long term reliability. Having worked with Advanced in the past, we knew that the equipment would be of the highest quality for such a historic building plus the system offers the flexibility to meet future requirements.”

MxPro 5 panels can be used in single loop, single panel format or easily configured into high speed, 200 panel networks covering huge areas and tens of thousands of field devices. In total, one MxPro 5 four-loop panel was installed in the main prison building and one MxPro 5 two-loop panel was installed in the heritage centre.

ExGo is suitable for almost all single-flooding area applications and includes a range of control options and devices. It is approved to EN54 Parts 2, 4 and 13 and EN12094-1 and is among the first systems to combine these with EN12094 Part 3 in a single solution. EN12094-3 relates to the integrated manual release on the front of the panel. ExGo can be integrated into Advanced’s Axis and MxPro fire panels, or any third party fire system.

A spokesperson for Lincoln Castle commented: “We’re very pleased with the Advanced systems installed by Reflex. As the castle is a listed

building, it was essential that the panels and detectors be as discrete as possible, particularly in the prison and the Magna Carta vault. This year marks the 800th anniversary of the sealing of Magna Carta and we are happy that our visitors will be able see one of the four original copies under the protection of Advanced panels.”

Neil Parkin, sales manager for Advanced, added: “Advanced fire systems are famous for their quality and ease-of-use and being specified to protect life and cultural assets of this importance is testament to our work to stay at the forefront of the market. As a company we are proud of all of our jobs but this one is very special. They don’t come up very often and it says a lot about Advanced products that we are the first choice.”

Advanced is a world leader in the development and manufacture of intelligent fire systems. The legendary performance, quality and ease-ofuse of its products sees them used in prestigious and challenging locations all over the world, from single panel installations to large multi-site networks. Advanced products include complete fire detection systems, multi-protocol fire panels, extinguishing control and fire paging systems. q • Further details can be found on the website at www.advancedco.com.

Ancient and modern: lime is infinitely flexible [ THE REVIVAL IN the popularity of lime in building has led to an explosion in the number of builders and plasterers looking for an available supply of lime products in easy-to-use forms. The products can be mixed in situ or supplied ready-mixed, in a variety of mixes suitable for restoration or new build.

One such supplier is the Suffolk-based Anglia Lime Company. Its traditional haired chalk mix – a reproduction of a lime mix used by craftsmen over 400 years ago – was used in the reconstruction of St Mary’s Church in Westry, Norfolk, which was virtually destroyed by fire in 2010.

Only the four main walls were left standing, yet four years later, in March 2014, it re-opened after extensive rebuilding and renovation.

According to Anglia Lime: “The curved, vaulted, apse ceiling has been beautifully restored and it was a complicated project.

Unusually, the laths had to be run vertically to create the smooth curve of the roof.”

The haired chalk mix proved to be the right lime plaster for the job: considerably lighter in weight than a standard lime/sand mix and infinitely more flexible and easy to apply. A more modern material was used

St Mary’s Church in Westry, Norfolk (left), and a barn conversion in Stevenage are just two projects to use lime products supplied by Suffolk-based Anglia Lime Company

for the conversion of a barn in Stevenage into two dwellings. Anglia Lime’s FibreChalk product was applied in a single coat, requiring no decorating.

Although a new product, FibreChalk mix is based on the ingredients of medieval plasters and therefore is historically and aesthetically contemporary with the type of building. q

Why lime has been in use for millennia [THE ORGANISATION THAT promotes the use of limes in building

in the UK is the Building Limes Forum (BLF), based in Edinburgh.

According to the BLF: “For thousands of years the binders in mortars and plasters have been made using building limes, with the earliest surviving example dating from around 8,000 BC, in a floor in Turkey.

Limes were the principal binders for the major building and civil engineering projects of the Roman Empire over 2,000 years ago and continued in use as one of the principal binders for all forms of construction, including castles, cathedrals, bridges, harbours and canals until the last century – not only in Europe, but worldwide.

“It was only the introduction of cement in the middle of the 19th century which led to the decline in the use of lime, culminating in its virtual disappearance by the mid-20th century. Emerging evidence in the 1970s of the damage caused to historic buildings by the use of cement mortars and modern plasters has led to a revival in the use of lime over the past 40 years, not only for conservation but also for new build.”

On its website, buildinglimesforum.org.uk, the BLF describes the various types of building lime and the process involved in its production.

It also carries an extract from a presentation by Stafford Holmes to the Foresight Lime Research Conference at Manchester University in 2002, explaining the attraction of lime as a building material, under the heading Why use lime. q

You can find a lime specialist in your area in our ‘Church & Heritage Supplies’ classified section from page 69 www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Cathedrals help preserve the skills for preservation [ENGLAND IS HOME to some of the most

important and beautiful medieval stained glass in the world. When the great cathedrals of Europe soared above their surrounding towns, replacing the secular castles as the dominant feature of the landscape, the wonder within them was expressed in marvellous works of art in light itself.

During the Middle Ages distinctive styles and subject matter for stained glass developed in different parts of Europe; indeed, the celebrated photographer and writer on the subject, Painton Cowen, goes as far as to aver that by the late 14th century there were distinct schools of glass painting in different regions of England alone.

We are fortunate in this country to have developed an early romantic vision of the past, leading us to preserve much of what it produced; stained glass has benefitted from this vision. We are also fortunate to have a number of organisations dedicated to the preservation of the skills required to conserve

and restore that legacy, such as the British Society of Master Glass Painters. The body that formulates guidelines for the conservation of medieval glass is the Corpus Vitrearum Medii Aevi, a Europewide research study which is also engaged in a survey and cataloguing process.

The major cathedrals themselves have figured prominently in that process. In particular, York Minster and Salisbury Cathedral have formidable reputations for excellence and carry out conservation and restoration projects well beyond their own precincts.

Products of that reputation are Lucy Rutherford – a former head of conservation at York Minster who specialises in conservation techniques – and Simon Harvey, who trained at Salisbury Cathedral before working under the tutorage of master glass painter Peter Archer AMGP and specialises in glass painting.

They have come together as Borderdale Stained Glass to provide a survey, conservation

One of two windows at Newcastle Cathedral restored by Borderdale Stained Glass with the aid of English Heritage and restoration service. Based in Berwick-uponTweed, their clients to date include, among others, Newcastle Cathedral and Fin Barre’s Cathedral in Cork. q

Stained glass revivals see new artistry and new locations [A NEW UPSURGE in enthusiasm for stained glass in Britain occurred in the 19th century and

The east window at Golford Chapel in Cranbrook by Isabel Ackary of Labyrinth Stained Glass depicting the four seasons

A complex Organic Spider’s Web by Tomasz Wlodarczyk of Deko Studio

endured into the early 20th. The resurgence was the product of two powerful artistic movements: the Gothic Revival, led by architects such as A W N Pugin and facilitated by the technical efforts of Charles Winston, and the Arts and Crafts movement pioneered by William Morris and his company.

Significantly, the installation of Victorian stained glass spread out from ecclesiastical buildings to the new civic ‘cathedrals’ in the industrialised towns and cities. From there the desire for glass art became universal. The new middle classes wanted leaded lights in their own houses and all public buildings – and, indeed, many pubs – sported colourful expressions of their raison d’etre.

Sadly, a great deal of this domestic and civic glass art was lost, as were many fine pieces from Victorian and 20th-century churches. More latterly, however, the desire for the kind of ornamentation offered by stained glass has again revived and there is huge market, not only for more modern pieces to be reinstalled but also for new pieces.

Churches have avidly taken on the baton and commissioned exciting new installations in vibrant colours, such as the exhilarating geometric designs at Golford Chapel in Cranbrook, Kent

by Isabel Ackary of Sussex-based Labyrinth Stained Glass, or her swirling blues and reds at St Philip’s in Tunbridge Wells. Isabel’s work comes from her art and design training and background, bringing a contemporary vision.

Domestic glass art is also thriving, again with a modern and sometimes idiosyncratic viewpoint: witness Tomasz Wlodarczyk’s complex Organic Spider’s Web for a private client, which can catch the unwary by surprise. Proprietor of Deko Studio, based in London, Tomasz’s work also harks back to the Victorian revival, with replacements of lost pieces in doors and entrance halls in Victorian homes.

The modern generation of glass artists has also banished some of the elitism of the past. Both Tomasz and Isabel offer courses to the general public to allow them to ‘do-it-themselves’. After the courses, which can be for beginners or the more experienced, participants get to take home a panel they have made themselves. Tomasz even offers gift vouchers for Christmas or birthday presents. q

You can find a stained glass expert in your area in our ‘Church & Heritage Supplies’ classified section from page 73 www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Shining a light on a night at the opera [

THE EXCITEMENT OF a night at the theatre or, even grander, the opera is added to by the lights and the grandeur of the building itself. Stepping under the canopy of a 19thcentury theatre building, through the brassbarred double doors into the foyer before making our way to our seats sets the scene for the night ahead.

Part of that grandeur is the razzmatazz of the theatre entrance, accentuated by the shiny stained glass of the entrance canopy.

In the case of the historic Buxton Opera House (pictured) the lights in the canopy were the work of Cheshire Stained Glass.

The company designed and manufactured five lights for the canopy and one for the entrance to the gardens.

According to the company: “The lettering is in white opalescent glass and the background

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is made from both English Muffled and English Antique Glass. These can be seen at their best in the evening when backlit from under the canopy.”

At the same time, other leaded lights were made for the double doors and surround, together with bevelled door panels for the main entrance. q

The passion that became a business [

WHILE SOME GLASS artists develop their expertise from study and working in a specialist company, for others their business arises from a long-held passion. One such is Andrew Patch of A P Stained Glass, based in Bristol.

Says Andrew: “I have held a passion for stained glass for many years and as friends and local glaziers became aware of my interest they asked me to repair and make various windows, I decided to start my business in 2003 and soon became busy.”

Andrew had studied design and illustration at Bath College. Later he returned to study stained glass. He combines a long career as a graphic designer, with his skills in glass, woodwork and metalwork.

He explains: “I am able to offer the complete service from discussion and design, illustration and kiln firing, hand crafting in the traditional way with age old techniques and then fitting into wood, metal or directly into stone.”

One of his most unusual new designs was a three-dimensional curved window made to fit around the corner of a ‘room within a room’, designed to ‘borrow’ light from an exterior window. q

Craftsmanship in carving is now affordable

[RECENT YEARS HAVE seen a renewed enthusiasm for architectural

detail in all areas of the built environment, leading to a flourishing of craftsmanship in interior and exterior ornamentation.

However, if fine hand-carved decorative pieces such as panelling or finials were required, each would have to be custom made and produced as a bespoke item. While highly desirable, such pieces are outside the range of most budgets.

Now, however, one of the world’s foremost hand-carving companies has established a sister company to offer traditional hand-carved items from an established range, each made to order at an affordable price.

Astor & Mallet provide an extensive selection of hand-carved architectural motifs, decorative mouldings and ornamental woodcarving.

They supply architects, decorators, cabinet shops, furniture makers, carpenters and homeowners. All products are made-to-order and handcarved to the highest quality.

The company’s workshop is operated by sister company Agrell Architectural Carving, which has been producing custom-carved ornaments for nearly four decades. Master Carver Ian Agrell, the

principal at Agrell Architectural Carving, has trained the 20-or-so fulltime carvers employed at Astor & Mallet’s workshop in West Bengal, India, most of whom have more than 20 years experience of carving in the classical tradition.

All products are made from Gmelina arborea, which flourishes throughout India, seasoned and prepared to exact specifications.

Gmelina is a high-quality hardwood that is sometimes called white teak or beechwood and locally known as gamhar. It is stain grade and furniture grade and is even used to produce musical instruments.

It has an even grain texture, carves beautifully and takes detail as well as any other high-quality carving wood. The International Union for Conservation of Nature rates its conservation status as of Least Concern (LC).

The range of products that can be ordered is available to view on the company’s website at www.astorandmallet.com. The product line is growing every week and all the items are available in a vast range of sizes; for example, mouldings are sized in increments of an eighth of an inch and can be purchased by the foot. q

Woodcarving of the highest standard [BORN IN AUVERGNE, France, Laurent

Robert started an apprenticeship in a cabinet making, woodcarving workshop at the young age of 16 where his grandfather taught him the important traditional wood finishing techniques.

Then, at the age of 22, he served a five year apprenticeship at Herbert Read Ltd, an ecclesiastical firm of church restorers, followed by 10 years working for William Drake organ builders.

Laurent put all his experience to good use and formed Laurent Robert Woodcarving where he is now responsible for his own workshop. The company offers a wide range of services, including original designs, both Laurent was responsible for the design and carving of the pipe shades for the Lincoln College Chapel organ (left) and the restoration of the carvings for the Christ Church Spitalfields organ

The reconstruction of the figurehead capital from a 19th century shop-front in Dartmouth

contemporary and historical, restoration and reproductions.

From the drawing board Laurent executes a hand drawing where the client can participate in the designing process of their projects.

Skilled in both British and French styles of woodcarving, Laurent undertakes projects from ecclesiastical, heritage and private clients. Some notable examples of recently completed projects include the reconstruction

of the figurehead capital from a nineteenthcentury shop-front in Dartmouth, Devon; the design and carving of the pipe shades for the Lincoln College Chapel organ, Oxford University; and most recently, the restoration of the carvings for the Christ Church Spitalfields organ, London, built in 1735. q • For further information visit the website www.laurentrobert-carving.com. www.ecclesiasticalandheritageworld.co.uk

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Inclusiveness is achievable with the right will [THE Equality Act 2010 is the legislation that requires ‘reasonable

adjustment’ to be made to premises to enable facilities to be enjoyed by people with disabilities. That applies equally to heritage sites and other historic sites, as well as churches and other cultural facilities.

Writing in 2013, diversity and inclusion specialist Sarah Kaiser, then diversity projects manager at The Tate, said: “We all have a right to enjoy access to the incredibly rich cultural heritage of our national collections of art and objects. That includes the 11 million disabled people living in the UK today. Yet all too often disabled people face barriers to accessing cultural activities, and are significantly less likely to participate in the arts and culture than non-disabled people.”

The Tate was a pioneer in providing facilities for people with disabilities.

All its galleries have access for wheelchair users and there are braille catalogues and touch tours for those with visual impairments, as well as special changing facilities.

Historic buildings bring particular challenges when adapting to people with disabilities, particularly when it comes to access to the building for someone with walking difficulties or wheelchair users. The fabric has to be carefully considered before any building work can be commenced.

However, striking results can sometimes be achieved, as in the case of replacing the setts outside St Edmund’s Church in Sedgefield using historically accurate new stones.

In other cases simple adjustments can have a big effect. Elsewhere in this publication About Access describe how a survey of a church in Yorkshire resulted in small changes that allowed a grant application to go ahead.

Sometimes a simple innovation such as audio guides will help visually impaired visitors make more sense of a site, while hard paths instead of gravel can allow wheelchair access.

More does need to be done to make churches and our built heritage more inclusive, but there are good examples to be found to lead the way. q

Get in the loop – and stay in it [IN ADDITION TO the provisions of the Equality Act 2010,

Approved Document M of the Building Regulations require that, in ‘buildings other than dwellings’ to which Part M applies, reasonable provision should be made for ‘aids to communication for people with an impairment of hearing or sight in auditoria, meeting rooms, reception areas, ticket offices and at information points’. Historic buildings are not exempt.

According to Action on Hearing Loss (formerly the RNID), over 10 million people in the UK are deaf or hard of hearing and an estimated two million have hearing aids.

The commonest and one of the most effective ways of providing that assistance is via an audio frequency induction loop system (AFILS), which can be accessed via more than 90% of current hearing aids.

The loop can be a large-scale permanent installation that covers an auditorium, hall or church, or a smaller, sometimes portable device in places like information points.

Many sound installation companies carry out installation of induction loops. However, unfortunately, a number of surveys carried out by organisations such as Action on Hearing Loss report that, even where a loop has been installed, frequently they have been badly installed or maintained. That means there is a need for special measures to bring those systems into working order.

The Institute of Sound and Communications Engineers Ltd (ISCE) is the professional organisation for those working in the public address, voice alarm, sound system, audio frequency induction loop system, audio-video, acoustics, or any other such sector in the sound and communications industry. Its members carry out installations of AFILS to an accredited standard and must pass stringent tests.

The ISCE has created an assessment scheme to offer organisations a source of competent individuals and companies who can test and assess their hearing loops for correct operation and performance.

Having a correctly installed and operational induction loop system is important, as is regular checking and maintenance.

The institute’s website has a form that can be submitted to arrange for an assessment of a loop at www.isce.org.uk. q

• A selection of ISCE members can be found from p72 in our ‘Church & Heritage Supplies’ classified section.

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Conservation area church access gets H&S thumbs-up thanks to Brett paving solutions [EXPERT GUIDANCE AND paving

materials from Brett Landscaping have ensured that the entrance to a medieval church in the town of Sedgefield, County Durham has been appropriately adapted to improve the access needs of wheelchair users and pedestrians.

Originally built in the 13th century and protected by conservation area covenants, the hard landscaping of the village green at the entrance to St. Edmund’s Church was in need of replacement setts, as the traditional quarried stone surface originally in place had become worn and uneven – causing access issues for wheelchair users, parents and carers with pushchairs, and pedestrians.

Leaving the paving in its existing condition was not an option, however any improvement works undertaken on the village green needed to be in keeping with the surroundings – a requirement which led the Environment Committee for Sedgefield Town Council to research the most appropriate solutions.

According to the committee: “As the church’s turning circle had become hazardous to walk or move over, we knew it was time to address its surface replacement. We needed a solution that looked appropriate, was reasonably priced and could be installed effectively, while giving a professional-looking finish.

“As the church and village green is situated within a conservation area, consultation with our local conservation officer at Durham County Council

was key, as was our contractor’s suggestion to benefit from the advice, services and quality materials of Brett Landscaping.”

Understanding the importance of selecting the best match for the project in situ, Brett Landscaping visited the site to showcase several different block examples for the team to consider. The council’s Environmental Committee approved the use of 430m2 of Alpha Antique Burnt Oak & Charcoal, supported using a mixed pattern of charcoal edging.

Adding to its service, Brett provided a full design of the area being repaved together with appropriate laying details.

Suitable pack quantities were also suggested and purposefully calculated to the nearest pack, to reduce waste and tighten costs.

With installation completed and the paving work now in full use, the Town Council commented on how pleased they are with the finished result.

“Both Brett and our contractors have done a first class job. People using the church have commented on how effective it looks. The team had the project completed in time for our medieval fair, which will enable our morris dancers to make best use of the substantially improved and much safer stone circle.” q • For further information visit www.brettpaving.co.uk.

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ANTIQUE FURNITURE RESTORATION

BAFRA

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BLACKSMITHS

BRICK MANUFACTURERS

ARCHIVE STORAGE BOXES BUILDING CONSERVATION & RESTORATION

BUILDING SERVICES

BELLS CANDLES

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CARVERS

CHURCH HEATING

CLOCKS

MASTER CARVERS ASSOCIATION

DISABLED ACCESS

ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING

EXHUMATION SERVICES

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FENCING

FIREPLACES

LEADWORK

FURNITURE

LCA

JOINERY

LANDSCAPING

LEADED LIGHTS

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LECTERNS

LIGHTING & SOUND

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LIGHTNING PROTECTION

LIME

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PAINTING CONSERVATION

PAINT STRIPPERS

METAL THEFT PREVENTION

PLUMBING & HEATING CONTRACTORS ORGANS

RAINWATER SYSTEMS

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ROOFING

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FTMRC

ISCE

ROOF TILES

SECURITY

SOUND & AUDIO VISUAL SYSTEMS

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STAINED GLASS

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TERRACOTTA

STONE

TESTING AND CONSULTANCY

STONE SUPPLY

TRAINING

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TRANSPORT & STORAGE

TREE SURGERY & CONSULTANCY

WEB SERVICES

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