Island Life Magazine Ltd December 2008/January 2009 | Page 59

FEATURE

we realised the whole infill
needed to be replaced. You have
to juggle what limited funds
are available with the needs of
the rest of the building, but it
was felt by everyone involved
including English Heritage that
it would be apt, as a celebratory
measure of the new minster
status, to have the new carving
and date of restoration.”
The rate of deterioration
of the building is perhaps
surprising, given that it is not
particularly old. But the nature
of the stone – limestone from
Caen, in Normandy – and the
“vaguely coastal” nature of
the Island – has contributed
to its weathering. “As well as
the wind, which never seems
to stop,” says Simon. “We’ve
cleaned it, re-pointed the open
joints, and changed a few stones
that were in poor condition, as
well as the carved ring around
the two clock faces.”
Restoring old buildings creates
problems which aren’t apparent
when working with less fragile
structures. To avoid putting
stress on the roofs or walls,
a ladder beam made of two
scaffold towers either side of the
church had to be built, across
which a beam was placed.
Another problem was less
architectural, more health and
safety: “We had to be careful
each Tuesday because of the
farmer’s market,” recalls Simon.
“There’s always the odd obstacle
in these projects.”

life

Photo left: Clock has just been placed back into the
opening after 1 hour of drilling out the centre core. Above:
The team who have been working on the church. Bottom:
The clock face being hoisted to the top of the tower.

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