5.3.6 Repair, Maintenance and Conservation

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

5.3.6 REPAIR, MAINTENANCE AND CONSERVATION

See also:

5.3.4 Ruined cathedral

5.3.7 Restoration and new works

5.3.11 Environmental Sustainability HERITAGE CONSIDERATIONS

Coventry Cathedral is a Grade I listed building of exceptional significance. As such the Chapter has a duty to ensure the structures remain in good condition. The conservation of significant places is founded on appropriate routine management and cyclical maintenance, supplemented by periodic renewal and repairs.

Maintenance and Monitoring at Coventry: Maintenance should be carried out regularly and periodic monitoring will inform continual improvement of planned maintenance regimes, identifying the need for periodic repair or renewal at an early stage.63 Monitoring and investigations into Post-War materials will be particularly important as less is understood about their performance over the long term. Systematic, methodical recording as part of the monitoring process, before and after alteration, will be of vital importance.

Periodic renewal at Coventry: Periodic renewal of elements of a significant place, is normally desirable unless any harm caused to heritage values would not be recovered over time. This relates to structural and built fabric such as roof coverings, rainwater goods and mortar joints, which are designed to have a finite lifespan. Renewal is required when that component becomes incapable of fulfilling its intended function through more modest interventions.

Repair of Coventry Cathedral: Repairs necessary to sustain the heritage values of a significant place such as Coventry are normally desirable if:

• There is sufficient information to understand comprehensively the impacts of the proposals on the significance of the place.

• The long-term consequences of the proposals can, from previous experience, be demonstrated to be benign, or the

63 Historic England, Conservation Principles, Policy and Guidance, 2008 proposals are designed not to prejudice alternative solutions in the future.

• The proposals are designed to avoid or minimise harm, if actions necessary to sustain particular heritage values tend to conflict.64

• The repairs have been considered essential and necessary to ensure the functioning of the Cathedral as an active place of worship.

The underlying causes of decay and need for repair, as well as any long-term consequences should be fully understood before work commences. Only proven methods of repair should be used, and treatments avoided that may cause damage to historic fabric and cultural significance. Repairs should be undertaken using the least invasive means possible.

The materials and craftsmanship used in the new cathedral are generally traditional. Techniques and materials that are understood through past performance, and that match the existing, should be used in order to reduce risk in the future. While techniques of the Post-War period may have been experimental or used low quality materials, those that have stood the test of time and can still be sourced should be used in like-for-like replacements. Those that are inherently defective should be substituted for a better-designed alternative if one is available. Whatever the technique used, it is vital to ensure repair methods are appropriate to the type of construction. 65

Traditional techniques for consolidating and repairing historic masonry should be employed at the ruined cathedral.

64 Ibid 65 ICOMOS, Approaches to the Conservation of Twentieth-Century Cultural Heritage Madrid - New Delhi Document, 2017

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

VULNERABILITIES AND CONFLICTS

Under the Care of Cathedrals Measure 2011, Chapter is required to carry out a Quinquennial Inspection (QI) of their building every five years, which identifies condition and repair needs. The most recent quinquennial inspection was completed by the Cathedral architect in 2019. Overall, the general condition of the Cathedral is reasonably good but there is a significant backlog of essential maintenance, repair and preventative conservation projects. Much of this backlog is linked to a lack of financial resources to carry out the required works. Whilst maintenance is carried out with diligence by the operational staff, there is no dedicated works department at the Cathedral. On-going issues - such as repairs to the Spence chairs for example - place a burden on the existing team.

New cathedral A repair exercise is required similar to that recently completed at the Chapel of Unity for the Chapel of Industry and Christ the Servant, which has failing slate cladding fixings, spalling of slender pre-cast concrete mullions, and failure of the glazing units between these, as well as environmental and acoustic problems.

Externally, Spence’s decision to use traditional materials in a modern, innovative way has led to a particular pattern of excessive weathering. Without projecting copings to parapets and stringcourse mouldings, rainwater is saturating the stone at high level, leading to microbiological growth, staining and mortar being washed out of joints. Water ingress has historically been, and continues to be, a problem. Below the porch roof, water laced with de-icing salts may be percolating through the open joints in the paving and affecting the pre-stressed concrete beam buried beneath the Queen’s Steps. The action of salts, moisture and steel cables is potentially catastrophic and the structural integrity could be compromised. The integrity of the pre-stressed concrete roof structure is also unknown.

In the nave, the underfloor heating system has failed, the acoustic render contains asbestos, the baptistery and nave windows require conservation to prevent water ingress and the sound system requires upgrading.

When considering the glass in the new cathedral, the Swedish windows are at greatest imminent risk of loss. It is recommended they are conserved in a workshop environment then reset within a protective glazing system. The nave and baptistery glass have issues with water ingress and the recommendations set out in the Buro Rauch report should be implemented. Finally, the glass in the Chapel of Christ the Servant urgently requires repair or replacement as part of a wider scheme to repair and reuse this space.66

66 Buro Rauch, Survey of All of the Stained Glass Installed in the Windows at Coventry Cathedral, 2018

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

Ruined cathedral Spalling masonry will continue to be an issue of concern and any repairs should seek to slow down this rate of decay.

As a publicly accessible space, understanding the rate and locations of decay will be vital to ensuring safe access. Such an understanding will also inform safety parameters for the greater use of the space.

General Many of the maintenance and repair projects identified in the QI entail significant cost, disruption to the daily life of the Cathedral and potential loss of original fabric.

An important consideration is the impact that repair and renewal may have on the significance of the Cathedral, as different solutions may impact on different combinations of site-specific values. For example, the redesign of a defective component such as rainwater goods will result in some harm to the Post-War Art and Design attribute but is vital to its function as an Active Place of Worship. These conflicts should be identified at an early stage and a balanced approach developed. POTENTIAL FOR CHANGE

There has historically been no conservation management strategy at the Cathedral, which means that informed decisions for change cannot be measured against precedent or placed within the wider historical narrative of the site. This CMP represents the opportunity to avoid the mistakes of the past and to create a clear future direction. The principles within this report should be used to underpin future decision-making.

The QI recommends that a practical management and maintenance strategy is produced, to cover the full Cathedral Precinct. This would build on the principles set out in the CMP and would inform operational staff of their maintenance duties and the substantial impact that small, cumulative changes can make. This should be fully costed, and a realistic budget set out by Chapter to complete the required works.

Overall, there are opportunities to use existing knowledge and to gain further understanding so as to better maintain the Cathedral for future generations. Opportunities include repairing known defects, monitoring for future change, representing historic fabric (such as medieval glass within the Chapel of Christ the Servant) and improving condition to coincide with City of Culture 2021. Choosing the appropriate methodology for conservation works:

• Does the chosen methodology respond to existing understanding about a component?

• Have previous interventions been understood as fully as possible?

• Have lessons been learnt from previous known changes to the component?

• Has adequate monitoring been carried out to inform the current proposals?

• Are the short and long-term outcomes of the proposed interventions fully understood?

• If an untested technique is proposed, is the procedure in place to properly record this to inform future practice?

• When recording interventions, has the following information been included:

o the reason why it was needed, and the process used to reach that decision;

o what materials and methods were trialled, and why those discarded were unsuccessful;

o what materials and methods were ultimately used; and

o any additional findings made during the course of work.

• Will proposals be recorded to an adequate degree and deposited in the relevant archive?

CONSERVATION FRAMEWORK

MANAGEMENT POLICIES

POLICY 17: Technologically innovative solutions to problems may be appropriate where they are proven to be successful and do not impact on significance.

POLICY 18: Carry out the work recommended in the current QI within the timescales set out in the QI.

POLICY 19: Produce a practical management and maintenance strategy for the Cathedral precinct following the principles set out in this CMP and recommendations of the QI.

POLICY 20: Address the maintenance and repair needs of the Ruined and New cathedrals appropriately with a clear understanding of the techniques, materials and skills used in their construction.

POLICY 21: Keep a record of all tests, monitoring and repairs as a resource for the future. PRIORITY ACTIONS

Action

Take action to conserve the Swedish windows, which are at risk of loss

Begin to explore options for the repair of the Chapel of Industry and Christ the Servant Priority level Owner

A Cathedral architect

B FAC

Priority levels: A – within 6 months, B – within 1 year, C – within 2 years