Church Care and Maintenance
Church Care and Maintenance Tina Andrew Church Heritage & Conservation Officer
Course Programme • • • • • • • • •
Registration Introduction Overview of Church Development Local Building Materials Why Buildings Decay Coffee Break The Importance of Regular Maintenance Church Inspection Depart
Single Cell Medieval Church
Saxon\Celtic\Early Norman
From: Pamela Cunnington, How Old is That Church?
Saxon Church
Small Medieval Church
Early Norman Apsidal Church
Early Norman Apsidal Church
Norman Cruciform Church
Norman Aisled Church
12th Century
13th Century
14th Century
15th Century
16th century
17th century
Plans of churches in Clwyd
Medieval Church Construction • Thick masonry walls – Usually composed of an outer layer of dressed or rubble stone with an inner core of lime mortar and small rubble stones – sometimes battered at the base – Look at medieval ruins to get an idea of the construction • Lime rendered and/or washed on the outside – plastered on the inside (most with wall paintings)
Medieval Church Construction • Windows – Early Norman windows (12C) were small with rounded heads – Early lancet windows (13C) were narrow with arched heads – Later Gothic windows (decorated and perpendicular) were tall and wide with elaborate window tracery • Roofs originally thatched, stone tiled or slated • Towers – A later addition (14/15C) in most cases – Often extended in height at a later date • Porches – A later addition (C15/16C) in most cases
19th Century Church Restoration • Most churches were heavily restored during the 19th Century, with some being almost completely rebuilt • Many have new windows from this period occupying original medieval openings and are often still in good condition • The restorations did not usually include towers – Most towers were only repointed • Many medieval nave and chancel roofs were replaced and date from the this time • Almost as many new churches were built as medieval ones in the 19C – Mostly in the gothic style (but not always authentically!)
Traditional solid 'breathing' wall
Modern cavity wall
Geology of Wales
Geology of North East Wales Carboniferous limestone (15)
Shale, siltstone, sandstone and impure limestone (13)
Course and fine-grained sandstone (19) Red & grey marl and sandstone(19)
Millstone Grit (16) Volcanic rock eg. basalt (3g)
Slate, shale, sandstone, quartzite (11) Slate, shale, grit, chert and volcanic rock (12)
Clay and cemenstone (20) Coal (17) Sandstone grit, flagstone shale, slate, shale & volcanic rock (10)
Local Building Materials • There was a strong tradition of timber building in North & East Wales due to the lack of good freestone and an abundance of oak • By the 16C the geographical area of timber building started to shrink – Cruck construction gradually gave way to box framed construction – Brick infill also gradually replaced earlier plaster panels when repairs became necessary – Houses were built with outer brick walls and internal wood partitioning
• Most building stone would have been quarried locally • Squared and coursed masonry was rarely used before 18C – Most domestic buildings and churches were whitewashed rubblestone – Ashlar was confined to the “greater” churches and St Aspah’s Cathedral
• Most domestic buildings would have had thatched or slate roofs • Major buildings (such as castles and greater churches) would have had lead roofs, mined near Halkyn, Holywell and Dyserth
Structural Carpentry
St Mary’s Church , Cilcain S Nave roof of alternating archbraced and hammer beam trusses late 15th/early 16th C St Cellan’s Church , Llangollen Chancel ceiling late 15th/early 16th C
Local Building Materials • A fine-grained yellow carboniferous sandstone was quarried at Gwespyr (Holywell) Broughton (Wrexham) and Cefn Mawr (Ruabon) – eg. St Giles Wrexham & All Saints Gresford • Mudstone has been used as a building stone in the moorland and Conwy Valley region of Denbighshire – eg. St Grwst Llanwrst & (parts of) Valle Crucis Abbey • First brick buildings appeared in 16C eg. Plas Clough Denbigh (16C), Erddig House (18C) & St Deiniol’s Church Worthenbury (18C) – Later used extensively in Chirk, Ruthin, Overton, Wrexham and Mold
• Brick & Roofing Slate widely exported from 19C onwards – Firebricks made at Buckley (18C onwards) – Famous red Ruabon bricks (19C onwards) made from red marls of the coal measures
St Asaph’s Cathedral 13C onwards Limestone and sandstone
All Saint’s Church Gresford Late 15C Carboniferous sandstone
St Deiniol’s Church Worthenbury 18C Red brick with stone dressings
SS Peter & Francis RC Church Prestatyn 1903 Red Ruabon brick
Local Building Materials - Limestone • Carboniferous limestone from the Clywydian Hills was widely used as the main walling material of nearly all churches in the area – It is hard and resistant to weathering – Brown when newly quarried then weathers to grey/whitish grey eg. St Margaret’s Bodelwyddan – A softer stone was usually used for window surrounds, dressings, tracery and mouldings eg. yellow sandstone from the coal measures • Quarrying took place along the north coast from Llandudno eastwards with most seaside towns built from this light stone – Red sandstone often used as a contrast for dressings
• St Asaph’s Cathedral was built from a variety of stone including locally quarried Cefn Meiriadog purple carboniferous limestone, red (Triassic) sandstone and yellow sandstone (from coal measures)
St Margaret’s Church (The Marble Church) Bodelwyddan 19C White carboniferous limestone
St Paul’s Church Colwyn Bay 19C Local pale carboniferous limestone with red sandstone from Cheshire
Any Questions?
Course Programme • • • • • • • • •
Registration Introduction Overview of Church Development Local Building Materials Why Buildings Decay Coffee Break The Importance of Regular Maintenance Church Inspection Depart
Single Cell Medieval Church
Saxon\Celtic\Early Norman
From: Pamela Cunnington, How Old is That Church?
Saxon Church
Small Medieval Church
Early Norman Apsidal Church
Early Norman Apsidal Church
Norman Cruciform Church
Norman Aisled Church
12th Century
13th Century
14th Century
15th Century
16th century
17th century
Plans of churches in Clwyd
Medieval Church Construction • Thick masonry walls – Usually composed of an outer layer of dressed or rubble stone with an inner core of lime mortar and small rubble stones – sometimes battered at the base – Look at medieval ruins to get an idea of the construction • Lime rendered and/or washed on the outside – plastered on the inside (most with wall paintings)
Medieval Church Construction • Windows – Early Norman windows (12C) were small with rounded heads – Early lancet windows (13C) were narrow with arched heads – Later Gothic windows (decorated and perpendicular) were tall and wide with elaborate window tracery • Roofs originally thatched, stone tiled or slated • Towers – A later addition (14/15C) in most cases – Often extended in height at a later date • Porches – A later addition (C15/16C) in most cases
19th Century Church Restoration • Most churches were heavily restored during the 19th Century, with some being almost completely rebuilt • Many have new windows from this period occupying original medieval openings and are often still in good condition • The restorations did not usually include towers – Most towers were only repointed • Many medieval nave and chancel roofs were replaced and date from the this time • Almost as many new churches were built as medieval ones in the 19C – Mostly in the gothic style (but not always authentically!)
Traditional solid 'breathing' wall
Modern cavity wall
Geology of Wales
Geology of North East Wales Carboniferous limestone (15)
Shale, siltstone, sandstone and impure limestone (13)
Course and fine-grained sandstone (19) Red & grey marl and sandstone(19)
Millstone Grit (16) Volcanic rock eg. basalt (3g)
Slate, shale, sandstone, quartzite (11) Slate, shale, grit, chert and volcanic rock (12)
Clay and cemenstone (20) Coal (17) Sandstone grit, flagstone shale, slate, shale & volcanic rock (10)
Local Building Materials • There was a strong tradition of timber building in North & East Wales due to the lack of good freestone and an abundance of oak • By the 16C the geographical area of timber building started to shrink – Cruck construction gradually gave way to box framed construction – Brick infill also gradually replaced earlier plaster panels when repairs became necessary – Houses were built with outer brick walls and internal wood partitioning
• Most building stone would have been quarried locally • Squared and coursed masonry was rarely used before 18C – Most domestic buildings and churches were whitewashed rubblestone – Ashlar was confined to the “greater” churches and St Aspah’s Cathedral
• Most domestic buildings would have had thatched or slate roofs • Major buildings (such as castles and greater churches) would have had lead roofs, mined near Halkyn, Holywell and Dyserth
Structural Carpentry
St Mary’s Church , Cilcain S Nave roof of alternating archbraced and hammer beam trusses late 15th/early 16th C St Cellan’s Church , Llangollen Chancel ceiling late 15th/early 16th C
Local Building Materials • A fine-grained yellow carboniferous sandstone was quarried at Gwespyr (Holywell) Broughton (Wrexham) and Cefn Mawr (Ruabon) – eg. St Giles Wrexham & All Saints Gresford • Mudstone has been used as a building stone in the moorland and Conwy Valley region of Denbighshire – eg. St Grwst Llanwrst & (parts of) Valle Crucis Abbey • First brick buildings appeared in 16C eg. Plas Clough Denbigh (16C), Erddig House (18C) & St Deiniol’s Church Worthenbury (18C) – Later used extensively in Chirk, Ruthin, Overton, Wrexham and Mold
• Brick & Roofing Slate widely exported from 19C onwards – Firebricks made at Buckley (18C onwards) – Famous red Ruabon bricks (19C onwards) made from red marls of the coal measures
St Asaph’s Cathedral 13C onwards Limestone and sandstone
All Saint’s Church Gresford Late 15C Carboniferous sandstone
St Deiniol’s Church Worthenbury 18C Red brick with stone dressings
SS Peter & Francis RC Church Prestatyn 1903 Red Ruabon brick
Local Building Materials - Limestone • Carboniferous limestone from the Clywydian Hills was widely used as the main walling material of nearly all churches in the area – It is hard and resistant to weathering – Brown when newly quarried then weathers to grey/whitish grey eg. St Margaret’s Bodelwyddan – A softer stone was usually used for window surrounds, dressings, tracery and mouldings eg. yellow sandstone from the coal measures • Quarrying took place along the north coast from Llandudno eastwards with most seaside towns built from this light stone – Red sandstone often used as a contrast for dressings
• St Asaph’s Cathedral was built from a variety of stone including locally quarried Cefn Meiriadog purple carboniferous limestone, red (Triassic) sandstone and yellow sandstone (from coal measures)
St Margaret’s Church (The Marble Church) Bodelwyddan 19C White carboniferous limestone
St Paul’s Church Colwyn Bay 19C Local pale carboniferous limestone with red sandstone from Cheshire
Any Questions?
