Chancel roof finished, scaffolding down

The repair of the chancel roof has been completed. The scaffolding was taken down on Monday, the side entrance on the presbytery side is open again, and the grounds have been tidied.

The work had been going on since mid-May. Seven roof-truss beams were replaced and the rest were treated, new beaver-tail roof tiles chosen by the conservator were laid, and the flashings and gutters were replaced. For the first time in several decades the south wall is not being soaked by leaking gutters.

This is the largest investment in our church since the post-war rebuilding in the 1940s. We will present the full accounts in September, after the final acceptance of the work by the conservator.

We thank parishioners for their patience — for three months everyone had to walk the long way round, and it was often noisy and dusty around the church. We also thank everyone who contributed to the collection: the conservator's grant covered most of the costs, but not all of them.

Next in line is the organ. We will sign the contract with the organ builder in September, and the work will start in October.