The roof on our Parochial Hall is 112 years old.
The slate roof on the main hall is constantly needing repair. The slates are in good condition, but they are held on by 112 year old nails which are suffering nail fatigue. When they fail, the slates slide down and crash into our patio area or the neighbouring garden. We keep having the slates refitted but this is a cause of concern. We need to have the entire roof stripped, then fit insulation and roofing felt (which it doesn’t have at present) then re-slate using the existing Welsh slates which are in good condition. Perhaps 10% will need to be replaced. We will then have a roof which will last at least another 112 years.
We are advised that it could cost in the region of £40k – £50k.
The roof on the front section of the building is of clay tiles and doesn’t seem to be causing any problem. The only trouble here was water ingress which was a guttering problem and has been resolved. We are waiting for the staircase wall to dry out.
Our Architect Simon Bird has surveyed the building and is prepared to draw up a schedule of work so that we can go out to tender.
The Diocesan Advisor on Buildings Andy Duncan has inspected it. He says that the work will be eligible for grants and that he can advise us on applying for them.
We are pleased to say that we now have someone to take on the project management of the roof repairs, also someone to coordinate the sourcing of potential grants. An initial meeting has been arranged with our church architect in early February. The project can then start to move forward but could take a over a year to come to completion.
Contact Malcolm Trewick for further information.
