Raising the roof

Photo: Picture: DARREN ROBINSON

It’s a wrap . . . church warden Brian Greenwood complete with hard hat inside the plastic wrapped nave.

Normal service set to resume at St Mary’s

The wraps should come off St Mary’s Church in Greenfield this summer after major restoration work on masonry and roofing.

The church is currently under plastic sheeting and corrugated protection as specialists from Lambert Walker, of Preston, carry out repairs on the Grade II-listed Victorian building.

But the Sunday services have still gone ahead as the hardy congregation also shelter under plastic sheeting and scaffolding inside.

Church warden Brian Greenwood said: “We are still doing baptisms and we can only worship on Sundays when the contractors are off-site.

“The chancel, nave and roof are being repaired and the east and west walls which were bowing out are being stabilised.

“There will also be a new roof of Welsh slate.”

St Mary’s, built in 1874 in Chew Valley Road, has already had major work carried out on its crumbling spire, but it will cost £750,000 to restore the whole church.

English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund have made grants, but the congregation and local people have raised around a third, and are now busy once again raising £7,000 to decorate the interior when the contractors leave.

But running two phases of the restoration together, and using the interior scaffolding for the decorators will save a colossal amount of money, Mr Greenwood added.