St Paul’s Church in Longridge was built in 1888 and is Grade II listed. The tower was added in 1936 and capped with a concrete slab. We deem this to be a typically modern installation requiring a modern solution. The surface coating had failed and a Bauder system was specified.
Before a Bauder approved contractor could apply the LiquiTOP system, we had to prepare the Tower roof. The project commenced with a scaffold that extended around the 4 roof pinnacles at each corner of the tower.
The pinnacles were to be repined due to concerns of stability. The four sections were carefully removed exposing unsuitable copper fixings. These were replaced with stainless steel threaded bar and the Pinnacles rebuilt with lime mortar. Once the Pinnacles were completed, the scaffold could be removed from the rooftop.
Internal access to the rooftop was via a timber clad unit which was replaced with a new access hatch in order to provide easy access and prevent weather issues. A tree had grown behind the old access point which required a section of the roof surface to be relaid in order to take out the roots.
Structural issues caused by the tree meant that some of the stones and copings of the parapet walls were strengthened with helical bar and pinning. The internal parapet was repointed with an approved lime mix to match the pinnacles.
A former flue stack was removed and vented, requiring resurfaced the corner of the roof deck. Lead repairs were made to flashings and 2 large chutes were relined with lead as they divert the water away from the tower roof deck.
It was during an inspection of the roof deck that rot was discovered in the Oak flagpole base. The Oak ran through the slab down to the floor in the room below. An assigned structural engineer designed a new steel flagpole base which was manufactured during a time of high demand in the construction industry.
Our team hoisted the 3 pieces of steelwork into position that create the base and raised a new aluminium flagpole into position. Once the Bauder surface works were finished, the Vicar raised a new flag to denote project completion.
