Heating specialist notches up a half century

[ESTABLISHED IN 1972, Argonaut Heating Ltd is proud to be celebrating 50 years of successful trading in the commercial heating, ventilating and air conditioning sector – as a specialist contractor for churches and other ecclesiastical and heritage buildings.

Many of the ecclesiastical and heritage buildings the team work in are listed buildings which require specialist knowledge for heating installations, boiler replacements, repairs and upgrade works.

Over the years Argonaut has carried out work on all types of heating in church buildings of all ages, types and sizes in the London, South East and East Anglia areas. Much of that work has been on high-profile projects, including in London at Sir Christopher Wren’s masterpiece St Mary-le-Bow, Cheapside – the church of the famous Bow Bells – and St Mark’s Church Regent’s Park in Camden (above left). Installations and upgrade works have also been carried out at Holy Trinity Church, South Woodford, and at Belsize Square Synagogue, Belsize Park, among numerous others in the London and surrounding areas.

The company’s engineers have recently completed a project at Reading’s Minster Church of St Mary the Virgin (above right). The original Reading Abbey was built on the site and consecrated by Thomas Becket in 1164. Stone and timber from the ruins of the abbey were used in the restoration of the minster in the mid-16th century.

As well as working in ecclesiastical buildings, Argonaut Heating Ltd also have a number of clients in prestigious buildings in central London, including a number of elegant gentlemen’s clubs: the Cavalry & Guards Club in Piccadilly, the Turf Club in St James’s and The Garrick Club in the heart of London’s West End.

As experts in church heating systems, the team at Argonaut provides cost-effective and efficient design, installation, repair and maintenance services. With their wealth of experience, the engineers understand the problems involved in heating churches, community centres, halls and other places of worship and regularly carry out boiler replacements, repairs and heating system upgrades.

The main problem in heating a church is the age of the building. Since the majority of church buildings are old and well established – often having additions built at a later date – they have a mixture of old heating systems presenting problems and are slow to respond in heating up a cold church. The old heating systems frequently try to heat buildings quickly at short notice for a variety of services and uses, so that the congregation are comfortable and in a warm and welcoming environment. More modern churches, built in the 1960s, often had electric heating systems installed which are expensive to run.

Argonaut Heating Ltd’s engineers are experienced in working in a variety of ecclesiastical building types and pride themselves in solving heating issues that other contractors are unable to find solutions for. All members of the team are fully qualified, reliable and committed to excellence in health and safety, thus ensuring that all installations and repairs are carefully carried out in compliance with the latest regulations. They enjoy long-term working relationships with many of their clients and much of the work comes from referrals.

The company offers free site visits, giving clients advice and free quotes on the most efficient and cost-effective heating solutions for their ecclesiastical buildings. q

Photo © Danny P Robinson Photo © Andrew Smith (cc-by-sa/2.0) (cc-by-sa/2.0)