restoration

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s a i n t
PAUL'S
church
Stalybridge

Beginnings Although extensive repair work was done in the early 1980s, by 1989 investigation of dry rot problems in the Chancel and North and South Transept areas became necessary involving removing plaster adjacent to the roof in these areas to reveal the stonework underneath.
		October 2011 Job done! The successful completion of the twenty year project to restore the church building is marked by a Service of Celebration together with a concert on Sunday 16 October. March 2011 The Restoration Project draws near its completion with the organ shortly to be re-installed and the south transept windows refurbished. Many thanks to all who have contributed to this important work. June 2010 It is hoped to begin the Third Phase of the Restoration Project at the end of July or beginning of August 2010. The South Transept will be out of action until almost Christmas, with no organ until the New Year. On a practical note, the Font will not be available for Baptisms, so I use this letter to make an appeal for anything that you may possess that could act as a temporary Font - no birdbaths please! March 2009 Historic Cheshire Churches Preservation Trust has given us a grant of £10,000 towards our restoration programme. The penultimate phase of the work - the tower and other stone work - is due to begin on 20 April 2009. August 2008 There is an important update on the situation with the church roof in the News section here. May 2008 The Restoration Fund reaches £300,000 February 2008 Two years ago we undertook repairs and redecoration to the chancel, north transept, crossing and vestry of the church. We had hoped that by now we’d be underway with similar work on the next phase – the south transept and organ chamber. However, we have been held back somewhat by our church architect suddenly moving abroad! His replacement is unfamiliar with St Paul’s, and therefore not yet able to draw up plans for the work. The work may now have to wait until next year. But in the meantime, we are doing well with our Restoration Fund. We’ve pretty largely got the funds required for that next phase described above. The total now raised is very close to £300,000, which is 75% of the profected final total of £400,000. After the south transept phase, there will still be some residual repairs to be done on the tower and high-level stone-work, but at least the visible insides of the church will all be completed! Let’s all keep up the good work on fund-raising, and regular giving. On this topic, it’s also worth reminding ourselves that if we’re making or altering a will, a legacy to church is always a good thing to include, and can be an enormous help with our financial commitments! March 2007 It’s been a bit of a time of snakes and ladders on the restoration front recently! Earlier this year we had some disappointing financial news, in that English Heritage turned down our appeal for financial support with the next phase of our restoration scheme. They helped us significantly last time round, and we were hopeful that they would do so again, but sadly there were just too many applicants for limited funds, and we missed out. So we are having to delay the next phase, which we had hoped to tackle at the beginning of next year. On the positive side, our new boilers are now working well. We had a teething problem when the new, more efficient boilers ruptured a weak joint on a pipe under the floor in church, causing steam to rise from the grating (a little alarming to those who were unaware of the cause!) But at the time of writing, that seems to be all sorted out! March 2006 On 26 February, we celebrated the completion of the penultimate phase of our restoration programme. This was marked with a service on the Sunday morning, at which the Bishop came to preach and preside, along with the Archdeacon of Chester, and the Diocesan Secretary. With impeccable timing, the last of the external scaffolding came down on the Friday before, and the last skip was taken away on the Saturday! It was wonderful to gather together in church - there was a congregation of around 230 - and give thanks for the work which has been successfully carried out over the last 5 months, and to enjoy again the sight of newly refurbished chancel and north transept. Just the south transept to go now! We’ll be embarking on that just as soon as we’ve raised the money still needed. Our current estimate is that the final phase will cost around another £150,000. Restoration Fund has now reached £225,322 January 2006 We are nearing the completion of this phase of the project. Inevitably, at this time of year, the weather has created the odd hold-up and hiccup, but the contractors are predicting a finish around the turn of the January. So sometime in February, when the contractors have departed and we have put the church straight again, we should be back in business in the whole church. It will almost seem strange to be in the big church again, after a few months of intimacy at the back! The only thing that isn’t due to be ready until the end of the month is the organ, which will have some work done on it during the week beginning the 20th. The PCC have decided that we’d like to honour the wonderfully dedicated work that Iain Frith put into the restoration project (and so many other aspects of church life), until his death last year, and so we’re planning to put up a plaque in his memory, probably in the North transept. It seems a fitting way to remember a marvellous man. The wording on the plaque is expected to be: In loving memory of Iain G Frith, former Churchwarden of St Paul’s, who contributed so much to the restoration of our church. 24.5.1941 - 15.5.2005 December 2005 I’m writing this having just come down from the church roof, after another site meeting to monitor the progress of the restoration work on the building. (The site meeting, you understand, was in the church, not on the roof!) The updated projection for a finish to the work is now early to mid February. Originally, it was scheduled to finish by Christmas, but that proved to be a little optimistic, given the restrictions of daylight hours and bad weather at this time of year. One or two other unexpected things cropped up to delay progress a little, but all being well, we should be back to normal by mid-February. Someone asked me again the other day what exactly the work is that is being done. In a nutshell, repairs are being carried out to the north transept and the chancel. Externally, the contractors are repairing the roof (replacing timber where required etc) and re-slating it (using partly old and partly new slates). Internally, they are re-plastering (those who’ve seen the church in recent years will remember the gaps in the plaster!) and re-decorating. When this work is done, we will be left with only the south transept and organ chamber area to restore. That will be the last phase - which we’ll hope to be able to address in another couple of years’ time - and then we should once again have a sound church building! Richard. September 2005 Fund passes £209,000 mark. Work on the next phase of the restoration project begins July 2005 In June it was announced that our Restoration Fund had topped £200,000. That means we're half way to the total we anticipate we'll need to do all the remaining restoration work. And in the mean time, we're ready to proceed with the next stage of the work. We've been suffering this year from delays outside our control, and the work scheduled to begin in the late spring is still not yet underway. However, we were recently given to understand that the architect and contractor expect to be ready to start by late August or early September. It's been frustrating for everyone having to wait, but we're confident that we'll get there in the end. Please keep praying for these projects - including those in the churchyard. God hears our prayers, and will honour our perseverance January 2005 At the end of December 2004, the Restoration Fund had reached a total of £184,246. It is hoped to start work on Phase 1 of the Restoration Project after Easter 2005. This part of the project involves repairs to the chancel, vestry and north transept roofs along with associated high-level stonework and timbers. (The south transept and organ area will be the subject of Phase 2 and will require us raising a further £200,000). A Maintenance schedule for the church building and churchyards has been developed. Party of this will be the keeping of a log book to record any concerns about the building which need to be addressed and to prevent small problems growing into larger and more costly problems. The log book will be available at the entrance to church. July 2004 Restoration Fund now stands at £159,092 April 2004 Successful grant applications bring in over £60,000 for the Restoration Fund. See News page. Fund stands at £152,469 at the end of April 2004. February 2004 Restoration Fund reaches £109,889 January 2004 Restoration Fund reaches £106,700 August 2003 Restoration Fund reaches £86330 Restoration work begins with repairs to bell tower. Work expected to be complete by end of September 2003.Application for grant to fund repairs to chancel, vestry and north transept made. July 2003 Restoration Fund reaches £80,000 April 2003 Restoration Fund reaches £75000. Landscaping of church yard nearing completion. March 2003 Tenders for roof works received. Survey of safety issues including an audit for disabled people to be carried out. Report on condition of tower expected : programme of works to be decided Heating system checked.
This was the start of a huge restoration programme for St Paul’s church and its congregation. There were fears that without this work the building would become unusable within twenty years. In addition, a Grade II listed building cannot easily be demolished and replaced by a modern structure. A meeting held in March 1991, considered how to remedy and restore existing dry rot problems within the building. how the building might be developed for other purposes and benefit the surrounding community as well as the church congregation. the financial implications of both of these and the actions needed - including fundraising - to realise these aims. Fundraising Grant-making trusts and other organizations were contacted to explore external sources of funding. The enormous task of letter writing which this involved was shouldered by Stan Ward who died in 2000 but who would have been proud of what eventually was achieved. In addition, a Parish Newsletter was produced which appealed to the local people and businesses to support the church’s initiative. Of course, this was just the beginning of a continuous fundraising drive which lasted for over the last 20 years! First phase It was envisaged that first phase of development would make the church building available to all the community throughout the week. The Diocese agreed to contribute a substantial amount of money to the project - in excess of £150,000 - and the Bishop of Chester agreed to endorse the redevelopment of St Paul’s in the literature issued to launch the project. Iain Frith, who was Church Warden for six years, played an invaluable role in the project to which he brought his knowledge of building and engineering. Iain – who is greatly missed by all who knew him - was actively involved with the restoration project from 1990 until his untimely death in May 2005. Throughout the last twenty years, Graham Holland Associates have been the architects involved in the restoration work at St Paul’s. Graham brought a sympathetic approach to the design of both the community rooms and the worship area. He used as much as possible of the existing church features which had been donated by the congregation in the past. The Rood Screen, which had divided the nave from the chancel since about 1954 was incorporated in the upper gallery wall between the upper room and the rear gallery area. The gallery itself was brought forward from the original line of the rear of the nave while retaining its essential character. Some stained glass from the new kitchen areas was used elsewhere, while some went into storage. Sadly, it was not possible to incorporate the pulpit in the new layout and this was sold, finding a home overseas. Work began on phase one - the new rooms and roof repairs – in Spring 1994, and continued into the following year, finishing in about February 1995. During this period the church was accessible only through the South Transept door and only the Transepts and two or three rows of the main body of the church were usable by the congregation which demanded some imaginative usage of the space available for bigger services. The completion of the first stage of the Restoration was celebrated with a Rededication Service on 13th May 1995, led by the then Bishop of Chester who rededicated all areas of the church from East to West. The completion of this first phase was not only a huge building project but an achievement which would have been impossible without the dedicated group who inspired the church to persevere with the project until completion. At the end of the main building work working parties drawn from the congregation, wielded shovels, brushes, mops and buckets to get the place cleaned up in preparation for redecorating and carpeting. The originally phase two was to have been work two transepts, including the organ chamber, and the vestry and Chancel area, but the difficult of funding this very large project meant that this work was rescheduled and phase two became the development of the churchyard. The idea was to fill the substantial hollow in the New Yard area with landfill. (This is the area which stretches from the side entrance of the graveyard from Summers Avenue, up to the far perimeter wall on Illingworth Avenue.) The original plan was for gentle contours over the whole area from the edge of the car park, with a view up to lllingworth Avenue. This plan was altered several times over the intervening years before completion. In 2004 it was decided to split the original second phase into two separate stages to make it more manageable financially. The first stage would inlcude repairs to the north transept, the vestry roof and chancel, with the organ chamber and south transept forming the final phase. Iain Frith was in charge of this project, and was leader of the Restoration Committee and had the full backing of the PCC. Iain worked tirelessly with the architects and other officials, and also successfully applied for a substantial grant from English Heritage. Understandably, it was a great shock to us all when Iain died in May 2005 prior to the work starting on the north transept. Other stepped in and the work was continued until its completion in February 2006. The outside scaffolding came down on the Friday before a service for Richard Lawry’s licensing as Vicar and before the Sunday which included the unveiling of memorial plaque in recognition of Iain’s work for St Paul’s. The plaque can be seen on the pillar adjacent to the sidesmen’s table as you enter the church. Before work on the final phase began other jobs had to be dealt with. The church boilers were replaced and fitted with more modern, and economical, temperature controls. Emergency lighting was installed as also was a smoke alarm system and a surveillance system around the perimeter of the building. In the main these major works have been paid for by very generous bequests left to the church in the wills of several long standing members. Without their generosity these jobs would have had to remain outstanding, and we thank God for their thoughtfulness. In addition, the tower has been restored and work done on the bell supports along with fitting the church clock with an electric motor. The final phase of the restoration project work on the south transept and organ chamber roof, was completed in 2011 along the refurbishment of our fine organ The work achieved in the last twenty years, at an estimated cost of over £900,000, has seen three incumbents serving as Vicar of St Paul’s, but a constant has been the unshakable belief of St Paul’s congregation that our building was worth saving for our children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. Without this, St Paul’s would not be the beautiful church it is today. Now the challenge has to be met of maintaining the building so that restoration work on this scale is never needed in the future. Based on Carol Wallwork’s: "To celebrate the restoration of St Paul’s – 1991 - 2011"