Restoration of the chancel decoration 2017-2021
As long ago as 1987, the Quinquennial Report (a report on a complete survey of all aspects of a church's fabric) was describing the chancel interior as ‘dowdy and dilapidated’. The same year, the church was listed as Grade II*; the narrative of the listing was more concerned with the contents and architectural features and so did not mention condition, but ten years later conservationist Sally Strachey was writing to architect P M Bartosch in response to his request for advice on how to ‘deal with the plaster work around the organ.’ She refers to her report carried out the previous summer which contained ‘Section 2, Overall Observations of the Historical Layers and Conditions of the Chancel Walls’. She expressed the opinion that it would be a mistake to carry out repairs to the chancel plaster and decoration piecemeal, treating the three walls as separate entities (perhaps to break the work down into more affordable projects) because the damage and wear which was now apparent over the whole chancel had been caused by the penetration of damp arising from faulty disposal of rainwater from the roof and damp rising into the dado from damaged and congested brick channels at ground level. The swell on the organ had been unplayable for some years after a leak in the roof had caused serious damage. It was this report dated 15th August 1997, that was the origin of the restoration project, now complete, but before anything could be done, funding to pay for it had to be raised. The recommendations, with additional features which emerged as work progressed, formed the basis of the project which was finally completed in May 2021. With the Grade I listed Walker organ having to be removed to give full access to the working area and the need for substantial repairs to the instrument, the first opportunity since it was built in 1869 now arose for top to bottom restoration. It could only be rebuilt when the chancel was clear of scaffolding and other equipment.
The Quinquennial Report of 2007 stated: ‘…there has been considerable concern expressed about the condition of the decorated plaster, particularly above the organ and at a high level on the south west side…much of the plaster is on lathes and sections have become detached and are ready to fall. Conditions remain dowdy as previously noted including the chancel’. Five years later, the 2012 Quinquennial made similar observations, but with the added ‘need for urgent attention’. In fact, some progress had been made in raising the necessary funding but unfortunately, this was delayed when in 2013 pieces of masonry had started to fall from the tower at St Catherine’s Hoarwithy (our sister church with shared resources administered by the same Parochial Church Council) on to the path below, which, as a danger to the numerous visitors to the Grade I listed church, had to take first call on any funding by the Parochial Church Council. St Catherine’s therefore was given priority, while St Dubricius remained on ‘hold’. Once the tower stonework at St Catherine’s had been secured, work resumed on the chancel project at St Dubricius, and following a detailed Report on the condition of the chancel plaster by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation Ltd (‘SSHC’) which formed a part of it, an application for funding was submitted to Heritage Lottery Fund (‘HLF’) in September 2015. This application failed, as showing ‘insufficient community activity to widen knowledge of the heritage and to publicise HLF’s major contribution.’ With the rejection however, was a recommendation to reapply. The second application, which now included a programme of activities and displays under the heading Origins of a Rural Settlement, was submitted in March 2016, with approval announced the following September. As with all such projects funded by HLF, the chancel project would be funded in two stages and permission to start the Development Stage was received in November 2016. This, including a bat survey -- the presence of bats having been apparent for many years – was completed and fully settled by August 2017. Permission to start the Delivery Stage of the project was received in February 2018 and work began in March. However, the bat survey carried out in March the previous year had identified three species of bats roosting in various places in the church, including the ceiling of the tower, the north porch and the chimney of the stove in the south wall. Part of the work on the north wall, where a large section of the decorated plaster had collapsed, required the opening up of the space behind. When this was begun from the eaves of the outside north wall, the space was found to be full of debris accumulated over the previous 150 years, including birds’ nests and several dead birds. Once the debris had been cleared, a survey of the chancel roof identified 70% of the stone roof tiles to be decayed with age and in need of replacement. This would result in a major new dimension to the project, requiring its own funding and contractors. The opening-up also brought a need for a further survey by Swift Ecology and this, conducted in October, identified a maternity group of brown long-eared bats in the cavity between the roof tiles and the asbestos panels forming the ceiling of the chancel. The bats, as a European Protected Species (‘EPS’), could only be disturbed after the grant of a Mitigation Licence to Disturb the EPS. This was applied for in October 2018 and granted in December. The licence specified two four-week periods when work could take place, March/April and October/November. The resultant loss of continuity meant that the planned courses for two trainee conservators could not now be arranged and work on the project had to cease until the next ‘window’ opened in March 2019. The effect of the reduction in time available for work on the project meant a delay of something over a year and a significant increase in costs, not least of which was that of keeping scaffolding in place, found to be marginally less costly than removing and re-erecting. The increase of £38,500 was fully funded by the Jordan Charitable Foundation.
By new year 2020, an end to the project appeared to be attainable in the coming year, had it not been for the arrival of the Covid pandemic and the first lockdown on March 26th. This again meant work had to cease and it was not until 2021 that the omicron variant was felt to be manageable and the work could be finished, in the event, in April of that year. With the chancel cleared of all scaffolding and other equipment, the organ could now be rebuilt and the end of the project was celebrated with a virtuoso organ recital with songs on Saturday 12th October which was attended by an invited audience of 46, seated with social distancing. None of this could have taken place without the very substantial support of Heritage Lottery Fund, with their 67% contribution to the initial funding requirement, and in thanking the institution, we must not forget those who buy Lottery tickets and thereby achieve so much in restoring the national heritage of historic buildings and in supporting many other good causes.