REPAIRS AND MAINTENANCE GUIDANCE
Planning and Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and the Historic
Environment states:
"Regular maintenance and repair are the key to the preservation
of all historic buildings. Modest expenditure on repairs keeps
a building weathertight, and routine maintenance (especially
roof repairs and the regular clearing of gutters and downpipes)
can prevent much more expensive work becoming necessary at
a later date. It is a common misunderstanding that historic
buildings have a fixed life span and that gradual decay of
their fabric is inevitable.
On the contrary, unless there are intrinsic defects of design
or materials, the life span of a historic building may be
indefinite provided that timely maintenance, and occasional
major repairs such as the renewal of roof coverings and other
features, are regularly undertaken. Major problems are all
too often the result of neglect and, if tackled earlier, can
be prevented or reduced in scale. Regular inspection is invaluable."
The maintenance, including day-to-day care, of all places
of worship should be planned as a regular routine, usually
on a five year cycle. Some understanding of the nature of
the building and of its actual or potential problems, coupled
with good specialist advice will be of great advantage in
devising such a routine. There is a good list of maintenance
tasks and the time when they should be carried out in the
"Calendar of Care" section of the Church Care website
www.churchcare.co.uk,
as well as in the publication A Guide to Church Inspection
and Repair, 2001.
The principal enemy of all buildings, whether places of worship
or the houses in which we live, is moisture, the root cause
of all types of rot and other forms of decay. Routine tasks
can prevent at little or no expense the onset of decay which,
if left to spread, may eventually cost enormous sums to rectify.
A broken downpipe is far easier and cheaper to remedy than
an outbreak of dry rot.
When more substantial work is required, the most important
factors in ensuring best value in the longer term will be
the quality of the professional advice, decision-making and
direction of the work that is obtained.
The key principles of repair for all historic buildings,
including places of worship, may be summarised as follows:
o The primary purpose of repair is to restrain the process
of decay without damaging the character of the building or
unnecessarily disturbing or destroying historic fabric.
o Works should be kept to the minimum required to stabilise
and conserve the building, with the aim of achieving a sufficiently
good structural condition to ensure long-term survival and
to meet the requirements of appropriate use.
o The unnecessary replacement of historic fabric, no matter
how carefully the work is carried out, will have an adverse
effect on the appearance of the building, and will seriously
diminish its authenticity.
o A thorough understanding of the historical development
of the building is a necessary preliminary to its repair.
o The detailed design of repairs should be preceded by
a survey of its defects over as long a period as possible.
To repair or replace decayed fabric without first carrying
out such an investigation is to invite a costly repetition
of problems.
o In making repairs the aim should be to match existing
materials and methods of construction. Appropriate new methods
and techniques should only be used where they have proved
themselves over a sufficient period.
o Repairs should be executed honestly, respecting the
character of the historic fabric, usually with no attempt
at disguise or artificial aging. They should not be unnecessarily
obtrusive or unsympathetic in appearance.
Further Reading
The following publications contain, in addition to helpful
advice, good bibliographies and lists of addresses of useful
contacts.
a) Brereton, C 2nd Edition 1995 The Repair
of Historic Buildings: Advice on Principles and Methods. London:
English Heritage
Available from:
English Heritage Customer Services
PO Box 569
Swindon SN2 2YR
Tel: 0870 333 1181
Fax: 0179 341 4926
Email: customers@english-heritage.org.uk
(£9.00)
b) BS 7913: 1998 Guide to the Principles of the Conservation
of Historic Buildings
Available from:
British Standards Institution Customer Services
389 Chiswick High Road
London W4 4AL
Tel & Fax: 020 8996 7001
Email: cservices@bsi-global.com
(£66.00 to non members)
c) Council for the Care of Churches, 2nd Edition,
1995, reset 2001 A Guide to Church Inspection and Repair
(ISBN 0715175688). London: Church House Publishing
Available from :
Church House Bookshop,
31 Great Smith Street,
London SW1P 3BN
Tel: 020 7898 1306
Fax: 020 7898 1305
Email: bookshop@c-of-c.org.uk
(£5.95)
d) Useful information can be obtained from the website
www.churchcare.co.uk
e) Historic Scotland, 1995 The Repair of Historic
Buildings in Scotland. Edinburgh: Historic Scotland
Available from:
TCRE Publications Department
Historic Scotland
Longmore House
Salisbury Place
Edinburgh EH9 1SH
Tel: 0131 668 8638
Fax: 0131 668 8669
Email: hs.conservation.bureau@scotland.gov.uk
(£9.00)
f) The Government's building conservation policy is set
out in Planning and Policy Guidance Note 15: Planning and
the Historic Environment (ISBN 0-11-752944-3). This document
is also known as PPG15.
Copies of PPG15 can be obtained from:
The Stationery Office
Tel: 0870 600 5522
Website: www.clicktso.com/
(£11.00 plus £2.50 postage and packaging)
g) Cadw, Medieval Church Archaeology (ISBN 1 85760
181 5)
Available from:
Cadw
Welsh Assembly Government
Crown Building
Cathays Park
Cardiff CF10 3NQ
Tel: 029 2082 6573
Website: www.cadw.wales.gov.uk
h) Ulster Historic Churches Trust, Maintenance Schedule
for Churches and Good Housekeeping Guide
Available from:
The Ulster Historic Churches Trust
C/O 1 Glenview Street
Belfast BT14 7DP /TD>
