St Lawrence’s Church in Longridge is familiar to us, having completed restoration works to the Bell Tower in 2021 – read our earlier case study by clicking here [link opens in new tab].
This time, we were tasked with the restoration and overhaul of the South Transept. This section of the building had suffered with water ingress for many years. The internal room had become extremely damp causing plaster failure and flaking paint. Lead-work and copings had failed and cement pointing was not suitable for a heritage building.
In order to make the exterior water tight, our team fully re-leaded and re-bedded the copings of this structure, along with new lead valley gutter, stepped lead gutter, flashings, slate repairs and the re-bedding of ridges with a lime mix.
The stone chimney required carefully taking down to ridge level and rebuilding. We took photographic records and numbered each section prior to removal. We replaced lead flashings and apron for new, and installed a lead tray as the chimney was redundant – the flue having been previously removed.
We fully rebuilt, repointed and re-flaunched this chimney in lime mortar and installed an air vent to facilitate breathability and air flow. This chimney now stands proud overlooking Longridge and will do so for many years to come.
In addition to these roof works we removed all cement pointing from the gable and fully repointed with lime mortar.
The damaged internal plaster was removed and taken back to solid. These areas were then lime plastered in a 3 coat process, allowing sufficient curing time between coats. The room was then repainted with a breathable White Clay Paint.
Finally, the leaded lights were resealed and sympathetically cleaned.
Now the South Transept has a new lease of life that will mitigate moisture as a period building should.
