New roof tiles are already on the chancel roof

The treatment of the roof truss was completed last week. Seven beams were replaced with new ones; the rest turned out to be sound and only needed protecting. The beam with the carved date 1897 and the carpenters' names has stayed in place, and the inscription has been protected from damage.

Since Monday the roofers have been laying the new tiles. They are brick-red beaver-tail tiles, chosen by the conservator to match the roof covering from the interwar period. Two thirds of the roof is already covered.

At the same time the flashings and gutters were replaced — originally this was to wait until the next stage, but the saving on the roof truss allowed it to be done straight away. That is good news, because the old gutters leaked and made the south wall damp.

If the weather holds, we will finish the work before the August patronal feast, and the scaffolding will come down in mid-August. We will present the full accounts in September.

We thank everyone who supports the repair with offerings in the special collection and with transfers to the account. Without this, the conservator's grant would not be enough to cover the whole cost.