The south side of the Chancel roof stripped of tiles and made rainproof pending retiling
Major roof repairs under way
After many months of consultations with our long-serving architect, roofers, the Diocesan Advisory Committee, and bat consultants (plus Historic England and Natural England keeping an eye on our plans), we can finally announce that repairs to the Nave and Chancel roof are ready to start.
Step back nearly three years to the gusty day when a 2m row of tiles slipped on the Chancel roof (over the altar and choir stalls). Checks revealed that roof repairs after the nearby 1940 landmine explosion had been done while facing a post-war shortage of key materials. See below for the wartime damage.
In short we discovered that the roofs over the Chancel and the Nave (the main seating area) had no waterproof underfelt, the wooden battens were untreated and rotting, and even the nails were poor quality and rusting through.
That left major areas of the roof liable to fail at any time, leaving wooden slats open to the elements.
We have been through the detailed process of obtaining a bat licence (after three separate surveys) to allow work to go ahead. Six new bat boxes have been installed on churchyard trees to provide additional and any replacement accommodation.
Scaffolding has appeared along the south side of the roofs, and back down the north side till it joins the north aisle roof. We shall be taking advantage of this to undertake a few other essential repairs such us securing coping stones and fixing gutters and hoppers.
One of the biggest – and most frustrating – challenges of maintaining a Grade 1 listed church is spending a six-figure sum for a repair that is designed to be virtually unnoticeable when complete. But soon you can admire how it has mostly appeared for centuries - and will be for many more years.
We look forward to the day when we don't have to look up warily to check for signs that could mean immediate catastrophic failure is upon us.
* If you wish to help to cover our costs – in conjunction with the Friends of All Saints’ Church, mail Martin King if you might be able to help.
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All Saints' Church is the parish church of Stock Harvard, in the village of Stock. This ancient building is Grade 1 listed and sits beside a large graveyard, a garden of remembrance and a glebe - which is a field used for the dinner dance, flower festival and fete that is one of the biggest events in the village calendar. Please see the following introduction about our worship. And click here to find us.
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