Updates
12 July
17 June
The work by Cornerstone Traditional Masonry Ltd on the Church is nearing its conclusion.
4 May
Cornerstone Traditional Masonry Ltd is still working on the Church, focusing now on fixing the faulty pointing, gutters, and downpipes on the west end and south side of the building.
The mobile access platform will be used from the west side to reach the west gable and the high roof level on the south side. Car parking on the driveway to the hall might be blocked to allow this to happen.
The roof and eaves at the lower aisle level of the South Chancel need to be repaired, and a scaffold tower will be required for access. Vehicle access to the back of the Church remains closed.
12 March
The work by Cornerstone Traditional Masonry Ltd on the Church will continue meantime. The scaffold has been dismantled.
Renewal of defective pointing, overhaul and painting of the guttering and downpipes is being carried out around the rest of the building for a few weeks more.
10 February
The work by Cornerstone Traditional Masonry Ltd on the east end of the Church will continue for a further one to two weeks. The scaffold will then be dismantled.
Renewal of defective pointing, overhaul and painting of the guttering and downpipes will be carried out around the rest of the building during February and March.
Look out for the high-level access platform and moveable scaffold tower being used next to the Church and Hall.
Please take care entering or leaving the buildings. Do not enter areas marked with cones or barriers. Parking will be limited and vehicle circulation may not be possible. We are sorry for any inconvenience caused.
5 February
Progress has been limited due to inclement weather; however, most of the mason works to the East Elevation are complete. The other associated work to prevent water ingress should be completed by mid-February, allowing removal of the scaffolding.
Work around the rest of the building will be carried out from a ‘cherry picker’ or a scaffold tower. This will continue the renewing of defective pointing, gutter repairs, and the painting of the gutters and downspouts around the rest of the building.
The work is expected to finish around the end of March or early April.
1 February
The recent storm dislodged slates at the East end of the church, but repairs are in hand.
Our contractor, carrying out the conservation works on the church, will be bringing in an access platform in two weeks or so to continue the work around the sides of the church when the scaffolding is removed from the east gable. The re-instatement of the slates will be carried out in the course of that operation.
In the meantime, the waterproofing under the slates seems to be intact so we are hoping that there will be no water leakage into the church. There has been none so far, but we are keeping an eye on the situation.
We are also reviewing the replacement of the notice board which also suffered, but may not replace it in the same way.
12 January, 2025
Work will continue in January, as lime mortaring cannot be done when the temperature is near or drops below freezing.
The main and vestry doors to the church continue to be accessible, but vehicle circulation is restricted, and parking is limited.
10 November, 2024
The conservation essential work on the pointing and guttering continues and there is now steel cabin as well as the scaffolding at the east end of the church.
One of the pinnacles at that end of the church has proved to be loose so the repairs are a timely intervention. Work will continue into December.
The organ remains covered in order to keep out any excess dust arising from the works, but it is playable.
The main and vestry doors to the church will continue to be accessible, although vehicle circulation will be restricted.
There is a Notice Board in the porch, providing detailed information about the work.
What’s happening?
From investigation of the dry rot outbreak in 2019 and our 2020 Building Inspection, we became aware of open stonework joints, leaks from the gutters and plant growth on the building.
Whilst not immediately obvious, you can see them by a closer look at the building.
Essential repairs
The Inspection Report recommended the following essential repairs by 2025:
- re-pointing around all the outside walls, especially at the downpipes
- overhauling the cast iron gutters, the joint seals and the waterproof barrier beneath,
renewing them where necessary - ensuring the downpipes are running freely
- painting all the gutters and downpipes.
These repairs will help prevent the ingress of water into the stonework and thus make dry rot less likely in the future. Dry rot occurs when the moisture level in timbers rises over 20% from causes such as dampness in the walls.
There have been several such outbreaks since 2000: at the west window, in the Rector’s Vestry, and in the main nave and north aisle roofing.
Fund-raising to fix these issues
Fund-raising began in 2019 for conservation repairs. Now, after five years and with several grant awards, we can afford to undertake work supervised by Roger Taylor, Tod Taylor Architects, Edinburgh.
We are grateful to the funders who have awarded grants for the work in recognition of the significance of the church building, the work to be carried out and possibilities for wider use of the building.
The principal grant is from Historic Environment Scotland.
Other grants are from:
- National Churches Trust, Wolfson Fabric Repair Grant
- Garfield Weston Foundation
- Benefact Trust
- Scottish Episcopal Church Provincial Building Grant
- EB Scotland, Scottish Landfill Communities Fund
We are most grateful for your donations, which will help avoid the need to dig into our reserves.
The work
The work is being carried out by Cornerstone Traditional Masonry Ltd, stonemasons, Glasgow, with a specialist contractor for some operations, all under the direction of Tod Taylor, Conservation Architects Edinburgh.
Start on site was in the second half of September, and then expected to take about ten weeks. Completion is now expected around the end of March.
For access to the east gable of the church, scaffolding is used. Elsewhere, an access platform or portable scaffold tower will be used, as appropriate, and moved as required. A small storage compound for tools, materials, etc., is sited at the Albert Hall end of the grounds.
There will inevitably be access restrictions preventing circulation around the church. As soon as they are known, we will publicise details on bulletin boards in the church and the hall, but if you have questions, please ask us.
The Revd Ian Boa, Property Convenor
Robert Nellist, Treasurer