County Durham restoration experts, Stone Technical Services (STS), have won a number of contracts to carry out preservation works to churches around the country.
STS, who specialise in ecclesiastical repairs, are working on Teesside, in Lincolnshire, Cambridgeshire and West Sussex to complete important projects on community churches.
On Teesside, STS is re-pointing the spire on St Peter’s Church in Redcar which dates back to the 1800s, while inLincolnshire, experts are working on the tallest medieval church spire in England. The 15th Century St James’s Church in Louth reaches 295 feet high and STS is carrying out a survey using its specialist access team, as well as a range of masonry repairs.
Near Cambridge, STS is carrying out a fabric investigation on St Mary and St Michael’s Church in Trumpington which dates back to the 1200s and in West Sussex, the team is carrying out a survey to a Norman church, St Andrew’s in Steyning.
STS’s new contracts come following the Chancellor’s recent announcement in the Budget that many more historic churches will be able to complete essential repairs thanks to an additional £40 million for the heavily oversubscribed Listed Places of Worship Roof Repair Fund and First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund.
The additional funding will be used for the urgent repair of roofs and rainwater goods on church buildings and follows the £15 million announced for the Roof Repair Fund in the 2014 Autumn Statement and £20 million for the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund announced in the 2014 Budget.
MD of STS, Dave Stone, said: “We work on hundreds of places of worship every year so we understand the integral part they play in local communities. Churches and cathedrals are irreplaceable historic buildings and are vital for both worshippers and the wider communities. This new funding will allow many more parishes to complete essential repairs to their churches so that they can continue to serve their communities well into the future and preserve them for future generations. In addition, trebling the money for church repairs will create local skilled jobs, improve community facilities and protect our country’s heritage.”
STS is a leader in the field of historic, high level and specialist maintenance as well as lightning protection and industrial steeplejack services and comprises four divisions: – STS Lightning Protection, STS Restoration, STS Maintenance and Facilities Management and STS Conservation.
Other clients include Westminster Abbey, English Heritage, the NHS, the National Trust, BSkyB, Sir Robert McAlpine and UK-wide local authorities. STS is also the appointed lightning conductor contractor at St Paul’s Cathedral and, in addition, recently completed the installation of a new lightning protection system on the grade II-listed Chapter House at the site, which is currently undergoing a repair programme.