Over the last three to four weeks, we have had a series of issues with the work on the church roof. The first was the discovery that the whole of the wall plate on the south side of the church has been affected by dry rot, which has necessitated replacing all the wall plate. This has meant the erection of extra scaffolding inside the church. At this stage there has been no investigation of the north side of the nave and therefore we do not yet know the if the same problem exists on that side of the building. We are planning an inspection of that area within the week or so.
The second issue is that there has been a recurrence of dry rot in the section of the roof that was repaired 2-3 years ago. This will now have to be redone, at least in part. Thirdly, we have discovered how poor the original roof construction was (done on the cheap in the 1840s), so it will all need strengthening if it to last another 200 years.
On the advice of our church architect we engaged two experts to inspect the roof: EBS, dry rot experts, and Sinclair Johnson, structural engineers. EBS identified further damage to other timbers on the south side of the roof, including the principal rafter ends, which require re-enforcement. They also found significant dampness in the wall. They recommended additional ventilation, and an extensive area of gypsum plaster is to be removed from the top of the wall and left off for a period of 2 years to allow the wall to dry out.
The structural engineers approved the overall planned strengthening in all principal rafters and the upper wall plate. This will allow the roof load to be spread more efficiently.
The architect has drawn up a new schedule for the additional work. This has three implications. First, we need new permission from the Diocesan Architectural Committee (C of E planning authority) for the extra work. An application is in hand, the folks there have been very sympathetic. Secondly, the work will take longer than anticipated, probably running into the late summer. Thirdly, the costs of the project will expand, by over 50 per cent, which is more than we anticipated. We are currently working with the National Lottery Heritage Fund on this problem.
For these reasons – extra work and scaffolding - we cannot currently use the church for large-scale activities, but it is open for worship and small events. Thus, weddings, funerals and similar, which need space, are currently being moved to other venues. We are sorry for the inconvenience this causes, but sadly there is not much that can be done about it at present. The photos attached show the interior of the church at present.
Wymeswold Lives: Stories from documents about villagers in the past.
As part of the National Lottery Heritage Fund project at St Mary’s church, we will be running three workshops on Wymeswold past lives, using original sources. In each workshop, we will look at a type of historical document, and what it can tell us about people's lives in the past. We will use Wymeswold examples to look at specific people's stories. The workshops are free, will last around 1.5 hours each and will take place on the following dates and times:
Monday 9th June 7.30pm - Last wills and testaments.
Monday 16th June, 7.30pm - Probate Inventories (lists of goods people possessed at their deaths).
Monday 23rd June, 7.30pm - Settlement documents and indentures (residence permits and contracts of employment).
You can sign up by emailing pccwymeswold@outlook.com. Numbers will determine venue.
Save the date: Leicestershire and Rutland Family History Society will be running a workshop for us on Monday 29 September 10-12, at Holy Trinity Rooms, Barrow upon Soar (because Wifi is needed). The topic is ‘how to research family histories in Leicestershire’. Even if you are knowledgeable about family history research, the Family History Society volunteers are extremely knowledgeable about Leicestershire history, and will teach us all a thing or two. Places are limited to 10, so email pccwymeswold@outlook.com if you would like to reserve a place. The workshop is free of charge.
A follow up workshop will take place on Monday 27 October, 10-12.
