GRADE ONE-LISTED CHURCHES FEATURE IN HEATING FIRM’S 50 YEARS

[ A SUCCESSION OF Grade One-listed churches have featured over the years in the portfolio of specialist church heating installers Mellor and Mottram: in fact the company is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

In the case of Todmorden Unitarian Church in West Yorkshire –featured on the front cover of this issue – the new and modern system installed by Mellor and Mottram allowed the church to arise from its redundant status and become both a focal point for the local community and a religious centre for the Unitarian faith.

Mellor and Mottram was founded in 1973 as a commercial heating installation company by partners Roger Mottram and Jack Mellor. It was not long after the company was established that they discovered a talent for installing systems in churches – with all the specialist expertise that involves.

One of the first churches they installed a system for was St Mary’s at Weaverham in Cheshire (pictured opposite top left). That was in the 1970s; and 30 years later the firm returned to replace what had become an outdated system with a new, energy-efficient system.

A family affair

Over the years Roger and Jack gave way to Stuart Mottram, Roger’s son, as managing director.

Family association has also been seen in the firm’s customer base. When Mellor and Mottram won the contract for a new system at All Saint’s in Knaresborough, North Yorkshire, in 2015, they were working for the Rev Esther Foss. Esther was the daughter of Rev Bill Foss, for whom Stuart had installed new boilers 30 years previously at his church in Crewe.

As with many firms with substantial portfolios of work in churches, Mellor and Mottram can point to a number of projects in the nation’s cathedrals. Alongside those in Bangor and St Asaph, the firm is particularly proud of its response to an emergency at the Greek Orthodox Cathedral in Birmingham, where a breakdown just before Christmas 2017 led to the Stoke-on-Trent company carrying out the installation of a replacement to enable seasonal celebrations to take place.

Ancient, modern…and eco-friendly

Other churches that have seen their heating systems renewed by the team at Mellor and Mottram range from medieval gems in South Devon to a modern faith centre in London. Among the more modern churches to benefit from their expertise is St Peter’s in Hednesford, West Midlands (pictured below).

Modern eco-friendly systems have been in the Mellor and Mottram portfolio for some time. Back in 2014 the company completed the installation at the new visitor centre at Denbigh Castle. It comprises both ground source and air source heat pumps (right). Even the plant room housing the system utilised recycled materials.

The castle is one of a number of historic buildings outside of the ecclesiastical sphere that have benefitted from Mellor and Mottram’s specialist expertise. They include an on-going project to upgrade the facilities at Alton Castle in Staffordshire – a stone’s throw from the company’s headquarters in Stoke-on-Trent and next to the world-famous Alton Towers theme park.

What of the future?

Recently, Stuart’s sons Harry and George have stepped up to ensure the firm remains in the family. Stuart continues to cover the country in the search for churches in need of the company’s expertise. Latest in the list is the Church of St Swithun in Cheswardine, Shropshire. Watch this space! q

• For further information call 0800 644 6240 or 07836 622439, alternatively visit the website at www.mellorandmottram.com.

The systems Mellor and Mottram install vary as much as the churches they install them in. In some cases a complete system is required, whereas in others an upgrade is the order of the day.

Stuart Mottram explained: “Many of the churches where we have carried out work have had just a simple boiler installation, which may be an oil boiler or gas-fired boiler. The gas-fired option is still possibly the best as the new ones are condensing units.”

Recently, an innovative system of radiant panels has been specified for All Saints’ Church in Harbury, Warwickshire. The science behind the panels reflects the way in which sunshine heats the people and objects it encounters.