On with the Hard Hats #2

Flushed with the success of the first tour, more intrepid congregation members braved the trip up to the roof to check on the progress. There has been a lot completed in the last little while. The north roof is almost completely finished and the contractors are about to start on the south side. The first photo shows the completed roof. A total of 112 msq of lead has gone on to the roof and this weighs 12 tons, which is more than a full laden double-decker bus.

This picture shows one of the roof beams that was repaired by the Victorians (renowned for their bodge jobs). Although this was done properly, the bolts they used to make the mend were too short which is why the beam has failed again. This time a new piece of oak has been spliced inside the beam and the job is good for another 150 years. Before the work began, the obligatory bat survey showed that there were some long-eared bats in residence among these beams, but they are safe from all the disturbance and work.

One of the other jobs has been to repair some of the more dangerous  stonework, so it is great that there is a Master Stonemason on the team. This picture shows just one of the new pieces of masonry put in place by skilled hands. Much of the stone in the church was originally quarried in Lincolnshire, some of the softer, more buff-coloured stone comes all the way from the  Cotswolds (a long way to come in the 14th century). The  stone is laid on hot lime mortar which makes it much more weather-proof

In the past very many of the churches in East Anglia would have had thatched roofs, reeds being abundantly available (and cheap) in the Fens. Later on, the thatches were replaced by lead, which lasts many hundreds of years more than thatch (and doesn't burn so easily either). Lead roofs need a much shallower pitch to drain, so many churches show "roof scars" where the old thatch was replaced. The picture below shows the the base of the tower and St. Peter's roof scar.

The work is gathering pace and the objective is to get the roof work completed by April 2022. The architect explained that the Church of St. Peters represents the story of Wisbech in one building at the centre of its community. Now the work of both raising money and opening out the access to the beautiful church to all the community of Wisbech and beyond begins in earnest. Watch this space. With thanks to Graham Leach for taking the photos and Val for arranging the fascinating tours.