In the last week, the new stainless steel covering for the south aisle has started to be installed. Stainless steel is the perfect choice in this situation. It’s out of sight, highly durable with a long lifespan and is very difficult to cut, making it hard to steal unlike lead.
As discussed in previous posts, we have had a big problem with death-watch beetle. This could partly be put down to the lack of ventilation in the roof voids, so in order to aid ventilation in the future, mushroom vents will be installed at regular intervals across the new stainless steel. That should help keep the critters at bay!
Timber repairs and carpentry have continued over the chancel and Kemy’s Aisle. Now the scaffolding has been erected on the inside of the building to support the ceiling and it’s substructure, work will soon commence on the vital timber repairs to the beetle eaten roof structure over the north aisle.
Although the discovery of the beetle has caused some significant delays to the project, there is good progress being made. This progress has started to be hindered by the rain of late which has been causing some significant leaks where the roofs are only protected by tarpaulin. Consideration had been given to the use of a temporary roof; however, coming in at around £70,000, it would have blown the budget somewhat. Let’s hope for a warm and dry autumn!
