The work of conserving and restoring heritage buildings is essential for preserving sites of significant cultural history. However, these projects are also some of the most challenging.
In fact, when a heritage building is being restored following an event of serious damage to it, the project is even more complex, with a number of factors requiring attention prior to work starting.
Valuations from specialist survey teams, used by heritage site insurers, vitally help to ascertain the expected financial outlay and guarantee sufficient funds are available for restoration.
Safety aspects of working on a historic building must also be taken into careful consideration. The structure of older damaged buildings can be precarious, so securing their stability is a top priority before commencing restoration works.
The Church of the Ascension
The Church of the Ascension in Salford is a Grade II-listed building that was devastated by an arson attack in 2017. The 1869 church, which is a rare remaining example of work by Manchester architect James Medland Taylor, is undergoing a £5million restoration. The work is being funded through the fire damage insurance facilitated by Ecclesiastical Insurance.
The £2.46million structural works being completed by Seddon have been complex due to the extensive damage caused by the fire. The church’s main internal structural support came from its original stone columns, which needed to be replaced with a new steel core and stone facing. The only way to stabilise the church and replace the columns was from inside the church, however the deterioration of the columns meant it was unsafe to enter.
To overcome this challenge, Thomasons developed a detailed step-by-step design solution to replace the columns, beginning with spraying concrete onto the severely damaged original columns so that the building was safe to enter. The team then used a suspended clamping beam and hydraulic jacks to lift up the masonry walls while they loosened the stone and replaced the columns. Specialist stonemasons were employed to work on repairing salvageable stonework, such as the mullions, corbels and rosary window.
Architectural design can prove to be a challenge with heritage restoration. With the Church of the Ascension, the emphasis was on rebuilding the church like-for-like. However, modern building regulations mean that tolerances for structural works are a lot more restricted. This required a compromise for the architects at Buttress, between designing the new stone columns and roof as close replicas, while meeting new sizing regulations.
Although heritage restoration is primarily about preserving the history of a building, it is also important to incorporate the needs of the modern community into the design. The Church of the Ascension will be a visual copy from the outside, but the internal space has been redesigned to provide a flexible space where the community can use partitions to adapt the room to its needs.
Originally, the church found it hard to finance the cost of the heating, but this restoration has allowed the team to add extra insulation into the roof and to partition off spaces, making this cost more manageable. Although horrific damage was inflicted on this church, this case presented a rare opportunity to improve upon the original and already impressive architecture.
This “phoenix from the ashes” project exemplifies how heritage buildings can not only be restored, but also be reinstated as important focal points of communities. If we are to continue enjoying the cultural contributions of our heritage sites, it is key for main contractors to forge strong specialist supply chain partnerships and invest in the expert skills that make such restoration projects possible.
