Conservation & Heritage Issue 52 Summer/Autumn 2026 - Flipbook - Page 57
inviting the community to find out more about repair or
renovation projects, churches may hear about a need in the
community they were not aware of, and which the church
could help solve once the building has been repaired. This
could also provide the church with a sustainable income
stream in the future.
The agreed solution to the tower at St Oswald’s involved
repairing the masonry and applying a traditional lime render
to the tower. The lime render acts as a sacrificial protective
layer: rather than allowing the weather to attack the historic
masonry directly, the render absorbs the impact of wind
and rain and can be repaired or renewed when necessary.
In a very exposed location such as Upper Wensleydale, this
protection is particularly important.
The more involved the local community is, the more engaged
they may end up being with the project. It might inspire
someone to give financially or volunteer as part of the project
team.
The method was underpinned by extensive research, which
revealed that an original lime coat had been removed by
the Victorians during a restoration of the church in 1853,
and through the years cement pointing had also been used.
While the render solution may have appeared unusual, it
was based on historic evidence, conservation principles and
a detailed understanding of how the building had originally
functioned. The aim was not to alter the character of the
church but to restore a proven method of protecting the
fabric from the weather.
From 2010 onwards all the necessary permissions were
sought for St Oswald’s, thanks to help from their architect. A
church faculty was granted for three years, and, in 2019, the
Parish Council and the Yorkshire Dales National Park gave
permission too. Then, Covid-19 hit and work was paused for
a while.
“Looking back, it would have been easy to become frustrated
by the length of the process, but one of the lessons we learned
is that historic buildings rarely respond well to rushed
decisions,” shares MaryRose.
“Equally important was the wider team around the project,”
says MaryRose.
“Historic England’s Alison Henry and Maria-Elena Calderon
provided the research and evidence that helped explain
why traditional lime render had been used historically and
why it remained relevant today. Professor Liz Laycock from
Sheffield Hallam University helped explain the science
behind the materials and the way moisture behaves within
historic masonry. Matthias Garn and his masons brought
the practical craft skills and experience with render needed
“The project was completed in 2025, fifteen years after the
initial investigation. The time invested in understanding
the problem properly proved to be just as important as the
repairs themselves.”
A fifteen-year timeframe is not unusual in large church repair
projects.
All Saints Church, Fleet
Restored after 昀椀re
Accredited Conservation Consultancy
specialising in:
Advisory Works
Conservation Condition Surveys
Building Pathology
Defect Scheduling
Writing Technical Specifications
Conservation of Statuary & Monuments
Project Management
Specialist Contract Works
…Integrity is at our foundation…
For details of our wide-ranging projects, please visit
www.spencer-hall.co.uk
Specialists in the conservation, repair, development
and care of our historic landscapes and built heritage
www.clewsarchitects.co.uk
I
Conservation & Heritage Journal
55
I
