ST MARY’S CHURCH, BRAMPTON, HUNTINGDON

ST MARY’S CHURCH, BRAMPTON, HUNTINGDON

QUINQUENNIAL REPORT

UNDER THE INSPECTION OF CHURCHES MEASURE

DIOCESE OF ELY

ARCHDEACONRY OF HUNTINGDON

RURAL DEANERY OF HUNTINGDON

Inspection: 16 September 2004

Report: 18 September 2004

Previous Report: 2 July 1999

J D Limentani BSc BArch RIBA

Marshall Sisson Architect

Harcourt Offices

56 High Street

Hemingford Grey

Huntingdon

Cambs PE28 9BJ

INTRODUCTION

1. The Church consists of Chancel with North Vestry and north Store, Nave with North and South Aisles, South Porch and a Western Tower.

The walls are a mixture of cobbles, ashlar and rubble limestone with limestone dressings. The roofs of the Nave, Aisles and Tower are covered with lead and those of the Vestry, Chancel and Store with slates.
The Chancel is 13^th century, the Nave and Aisles 16^th century, the West Tower was built in 1635. There have been a number of restorations including an extensive one in the 19^th century, and a fire in 1990 requiring the South Aisle roof to be partially rebuilt.
The Church is Listed Grade I, and is in a conservation area.
The main Churchyard is closed, and is looked after by the Council.
The weather was warm and sunny.

CONDITION OF THE FABRIC

WORKS CARRIED OUT SINCE THE LAST INSPECTION
1. The Tower screen has been completed filling the whole of the Tower archway and preventing the down draughts from the Tower.
2. Various minor repairs to the lead roofs have been carried out along with some pointing and some new copings to the North Aisle and Nave.
3. Minor repairs to the Chancel roof and gutters, and the boiler has been overhauled.

2. GENERAL CONDITON OF THE FABRIC

The Church remains in good sound condition. This is largely due to the

regular work put in over the past twenty years. Provided this is maintained

on a regular basis the Church will remain in good order.

2.2 Regular maintenance to clean the gutters and downpipes, and gulleys, is essential to prevent the ingress of water

2.3 There are problems with a number of Churchyard memorials, which are dangerous and need urgent attention.

3. MAIN WALLS

Most of the walls are in good condition and are well pointed. A number

have weeks growing at their base which should be treated annually to

stop them growing. This is particularly so down the boiler house steps and

on the south side.M
There is a slight crack in the top of the west wall of the South Aisle,

which will need to be watched, and preferably pointed up to see if it

moves again.B
There are a few open joints to the west end of the south wall of the South

Aisle. In due course they should be pointed.C
The chimney on the south side of the Chancel remains with a number of

very poor and damaged bricks three quarters of the way up. These will

need to be replaced soon.B
The Store has some open joints to copings which let the water into the wall,

and need to be pointed up.B
The west wall of the North Aisle has a poor area of pointing at the junction

with the north west buttress, and three poor shaling stones just under the

copings.C
There are still several copings which need to be replaced, at the south

east corner of the South Aisle, and north west and north east corners of

the North Aisle, the latter being particularly bad.B

TOWER
1. The Tower walls are all in good condition. There remain a few open
  
  joints to string courses but the plinth has been repointed.
2. Internally the walls are in good condition.
4.3 The parapets are mostly in order, except for the gap between the north

east pinnacle and the capped chimney, where an elder and brambles are

growing. These need to be removed as a matter of urgency, so they do

not take hold.A
CLOCK, BELLS AND BELL FRAME
1. The six bells are in poor condition. All the fittings are rusty, and some
  
  on the loose side. The wheels are in poor condition and the whole is in
  
  need of being overhauled in the near future.C
2. The frame is a timber frame with a lot of metal strengthening, much of
  
  which is rusty and in need of being painted and overhauled. C
3. The Sanctuary bell has no clapper.
4. The clock appears to be in order, as is the clock face.
LIGHTNING CONDUCTOR
1. There is a conductor to the Tower, and the lead roofs, and chimney
  
  are also covered with a protection system.
2. The system should be tested every 5 years to make sure its resistance
is less than 10 ohms.M
ROOF COVERINGS
1. CHANCEL

7.1.2 The Westmoreland slates are in good condition, there is one loose

slate on the north side.

The flashings are in order.

THE NAVE
1. The lead roof is mostly in order. There are three or four nails coming
  
  through rolls, which need to be refixed and patched to prevent water
  
  ingress.A
2. The roof is getting close to the end of its life, but should last another
  
  10 to 20 years.
3. There is some missing pointing to flashings, and areas which are cracked,
particularly to the north and south side.A
SOUTH AISLE
1. The roof is in good condition.
7.3.2 The flashings need a little repointing to the Clerestory and east end.A
SOUTH PORCH
1. There is a crack in one roll of the lead work, which needs a patch
  
  burnt over it.A
2. The flashings are in order
NORTH AISLE
1. The lead is of quite some age and thus sheets have elongated, and this
  
  roof cannot be far from the end of its life, probably up to 20 years.
2. The flashings are generally in order, one cover piece has come out, and
needs refixing.A
NORTH PORCH
1. The stone roof to the Porch is in order.
VESTRY AND STORE ROOM
1. The slate roofs of the Vestry and Store rooms appear to be in order,
as do the flashings.
TOWER
1. The lead to the Tower roof is in order, as are the flashings.

RAINWATER GUTTERS, DOWNPIPES AND DISPOSAL SYSTEM
1. The lead parapet gutters of the Nave, north and south Aisles, and south
Porch all appear to be in order but need regular cleaning. M
1. The eaves gutters of the Chancel and Vestry appear to be in order.

8.3 The downpipes are mostly in order, except for the Chancel south side

pipe which has one cracked section, and the east pipe of the north

Clerestory which is lead and appears to have a crack. This should be

replaced or repaired. A

The blue brick channel around the Church has lots of weeds growing

through it, and does little to help get rid of the water. As previously

recommended it should be disposed of and replaced with gravel. Until

it is replaced, the weeds should be killed annually. M

9. DOORS AND WINDOWS

The windows are now in good order. In one or two places the

ironwork to the ferramenta is damaging the cills due to its rusting,

and some repair will be needed in due course. D
The doorways are all in order.

9.3 The bird door to the north Porch has ironwork which has rusted away

in places and needs to be renewed. C

10. EXTERNAL IRONWORK AND WOODWORK

Most of the downpipes and gutters are in fair condition, but several

are losing their paint. Within the next five years they should be repainted. C
The ironwork to all the windows is rusting and in need of being

repainted soon. B

10.3 The ironwork to most doors is rusty and in need of being painted. B

10.4 The north Porch door has old paint on it which is being lost due

to neglect. It needs some attention by a conservator.B

ROOF STRUCTURE AND CEILINGS
1. The Nave, Chancel and both Aisle ceilings were viewed from ground
  
  level. No obvious defects could be seen, but any infestation of worm
  
  or beetle could not be detected at that distance.
2. The ceilings of the south Porch, Vestry and Store appear to be in
  
  order. The structure could not be seen.
3. The Tower roof appears to be in order. There is quite a lot of ironwork
in the roof, which is quite rusty and in need of being painted.B
SCREENS, PARTITIONS AND DOORS
1. The new screen in the Tower is in order.
2. The screens to the South Aisle, Lady Chapel and Chancel are in order.
3. The leaded glass panels in the door case in the back of the Tower
are in very poor condition, with broken leads and needs renewal. B
INTERNAL PLASTER AND DECORATIONS
1. All the walls are plastered. Most are in good condition, except for a
  
  small amount of damage at low level from rising damp to the Chancel
  
  and Aisles.
  
  13.2 The decorations are generally in order, other than areas where plaster
  
  has been disrupted.
2. The South Porch decorations are poor, partly due to lack of ventilation.
GLAZING AND VENTILATION
1. The glazing is all in fairly good to good condition, only the Vestry and Store Room window show any signs of lead fatigue.
2. A number of windows have wire guards, mostly the stained glass windows. The one to the window east of the South Porch has rusted
  
  away, and no longer has any integrity. It should be removed.
3. The lower louvres are all in order and well wired behind.B
14.4 There is poor ventilation in the South Porch which could easily be

improved. B
FLOORS
1. All the floors appear to be in order. The Nave and North Aisle pew
  
  platforms have some worm in their boarding, but at present these
  
  appear to be sound.
2. A number of the boards in the Nave and Aisles are loose and may
be a health and safety risk. They should all be fixed down securely.A
FURNITURE
1. The misericords in the Chancel are in order, there may be some worm
  
  which if active should be treated. M
2. Most of the furniture is relatively modern and in good order, there
  
  is some worm in the communion rail which if active needs to be
  
  treated. M
3. The organ appears to be in order.
MEMORIALS
1. All are in good condition, other than the war memorial in the base
of the Tower, which is suffering from rising damp.
DISABILITIES DISCRIMINATION ACT
1. All Churches need to comply with this Act. It is recommended that
an audit of the Church is made, this can be done using the pro formas

in "Widening the Eye of the Needle" by John Penton, obtainable from

The Council for the Care of Churches, price £10.95. From this an

order of priorities can be prepared. A
HEATING SYSTEM
1. There is an oil fired boiler providing low pressure hot water to
  
  radiators. The boiler has been overhauled and appears to work well.
  
  There are several radiators in the South Aisle and Vestry which have
  
  small leaks from joints and will need to be repaired soon. B
2. The oil tank is somewhat rusty, it is underground, and will need to
  
  be painted or replaced soon. B
3. There does not appear to be any asbestos in the boiler room.
ELECTRICAL INSTALLATION
1. The system is largely new. It should be tested every five years to
  
  make sure it remains in a safe condition. This should be done by an
  
  NICEIC registered electrician. M
2. All electrical appliances such as vacuum cleaners, should be PAT
tested every 2 years, a requirement of the law. M
SANITARY FACILITIES
1. None.
FIRE PRECAUTIONS
1. The Church has a number of fire extinguishers, which are serviced
annually, last done in April 2004. M
SECURITY
1. Most of the Church is well secured, including a number of windows
and ferramenta.
CHURCHYARD

24.1 The Churchyard is well kept. There are a lot of trees in the Churchyard,

some of which are dead or have dead branches. These need to be dealt

with to make them safe, and all need to be inspected by a tree surgeon A

every 5years. M

There are a lot of tombstones, some are leaning and need to be

straightened, but of much more concern are the stones which are

not fixed, particularly about 40% of the crosses. A number of

children have been killed by falling stones which they have climbed

on. As a matter of urgency these stones should be laid down or A

and refixed properly. They should also be checked annually for safety. M
The paths are asphalt and all in order.

BOUNDARY WALLS, GATES AND FENCES

25.1 The South and west walls are all in good order.

The fences and gates are all in order.

25.3 The brick wall on the north west side is in need of quite a lot

of repointing and some recapping. All the ivy should be removed. C

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS
1. MAINTENANCE (M)
  1. Clean all gutters, downpipes, chutes and gullies twice a year. The gullies should be checked monthly and cleaned.
  2. Treat all active worm annually in April/May.
  3. Service heating annually.
  4. Service organ regularly
  5. Service bells regularly.
  6. Service fire extinguishers annually in April.
  7. Weed kill all vegetation around the base of the Church annually.
  8. Oil locks and hinges regularly.
  9. Check all headstones annually.
  10. Service the clock regularly.
  11. Test electrical system every 3 to 5years (NICEIC test).
  12. Test all electrical appliances every 2 years (PAT test).
  13. Test the lightning conductor every 5 years.
  14. Inspect all trees in the Churchyard every 5 years.
  15. Paint all external ironwork every 10 years.

26.2 URGENT REPAIRS (A)

Lead repairs to the Nave and South Porch roof and repoint flashings to Nave, South and North Aisle roofs.
Replace the fractured downpipe section, and repair lead downpipe.
Lay down all the loose tombstones, particularly the crosses.
Remove the bramble and elder from the Tower roof.
Fix the loose boards to the Nave and Aisle floors.
Carry out an audit of the Church under the Disabilities Discrimination Act.
Remove dead tress and branches from the Churchyard.

26.3 REPAIRS WITHIN TWO YEARS (B)

Minor repointing to west wall of South Aisle (crack), and coping of the Store.
Brick replacements to defective bricks of the chimney.
Replace 4 coping stones to the North and South Aisles.
Repaint all the ironwork to windows, including ferramenta.
Repaint all ironwork to doors.
Conserve the paint to the North Aisle door.
Paint the ironwork to the Tower roof.
Relead the glass to the Tower door case.
Add ventilation to the South Porch.
Paint or replace the oil tank and repair the leaking radiators.
Remove the rusty wire guards to the South Aisle window.

26.4 REPAIRS WITHIN THE QUINQUENNIUM (C)

26.4.1 Minor pointing to the west end of the south wall of the South Aisle, and west wall of North Aisle.

Overhaul the bells, their fittings and the bell frame.
Repair the North Aisle bird gates.
Repaint all the downpipes.
Repoint the brick wall to the north west side of the Churchyard.

26.5 REPAIRS IN DUE COURSE (D)

26.5.1 Repairs to window cills damaged by rusty ferramenta.

APPENDIX 1

PAGE 1

LIMITATIONS OF SURVEY
1. We have not inspected woodwork or other parts of the structure which are covered, unexposed or inaccessible and we are therefore unable to report that such part of the property is free from defect or in the event that such part of the property not free from defect it will not contaminate and/or affect any other part of the property.
2. The Report is based on the findings of an inspection made from ground level, floor level(s), ladders and other readily accessible positions. Unless otherwise stated the inspection has been purely visual and no enclosed spaces or inaccessible parts, such as boarded floors, roof spaces or hidden timbers have been opened up for inspection.

1.3Particular items not inspected or covered by this Report:

(unless otherwise stated in the Detailed Report):-

Inaccessible roof voids or inaccessible lofts
Voids between or below suspended floors
The organ console and organ chamber interiors
Flues or ducts
Only sample timbers inspected
Manhole covers not lifted
Drains not tested
Panelling not removed
Fittings not removed
Furniture not removed
Floor coverings not lifted
Parts of the building hidden or obstructed by storage
Floor boards not lifted
Monuments, Plaques and Statuary
Tombs and Grave
Bells and Bell frames
Clocks
Heating Installation not tested
Electrical Installation not tested
Lightning Conductor not tested
No tests for high aluminia cement have been made.

It may be necessary to arrange for special further inspection in relation to these matters.

1.4This Report indicates the condition of the building and identifies defects. It does not purport to be wholly comprehensive or to give definitive solutions for remedial work. It is a report only and is in no way a specification for the execution of work and must never be used for such purposes.

APPENDIX 1

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It is not a document for the purpose of obtaining estimates from builders.

Professional advice should be obtained in determining appropriate repair work. Insensitive repairs (even minor repairs) can easily destroy architectural character and in appropriate technical solutions to defects may prove unsatisfactory in the long run or even aggravate a problem.

1.5It must be emphasized that nothing in this Report is intended to convey criticism of any person.

1.6Electrical Installation

Any electrical installation should be tested twice in every quinquennium (except as may be recommended in this report) by an NIC EIC Registered Electrician or the Electricity Board. The insulation and earth continuity test report should be kept with the Church log book.

If no recent report or certificate of inspection from a competent electrician (one who is on the Role of Approved Contractors issued by the National Inspection Council for Electrical Installation Contracting) is available, the comments in this report are based upon a visual inspection made without instruments, of the main switchboard, and of sections of wiring selected at random. Electrical installations for lighting and heating, and other electrical circuits should be installed and maintained in accordance with the current edition of the Institution of Electrical Engineers' Rules and the more specific recommendations of the Council for the Care of Churches, contained in the publication entitled "Wiring of Churches (1997)" by Rev. A.G. Sage.

Heating Apparatus

Similarly if no specialist's report is available, the remarks in this report are based only upon a superficial examination of its general condition in relation to fire hazards and sightliness. The installation and maintenance of equipment should be in accordance with the current editions of the appropriate British Standard Specification and their Codes of Practice.

A proper examination and test should be made of the heating apparatus by a qualified engineer each summer, prior to the start of the heating season, and the report kept in the Church log book. The P.C.C. is advised to consider arranging a regular inspection contract.

APPENDIX 1

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Lightning Conductors

As a defective conductor may attract lightning, the lightning conductor should be tested every quinquennium in accordance with the British Standard "Code of Practice BS.6651 1985" by a competent Engineer and the report kept with the Church log book.

Conductors on lofty spires and other inaccessible positions should be closely examined every ten years, particularly the contact between the tape and the vane rod or finial. If the conductor tape is without a test clamp, one should be provided above ground-level.
Maintenance between Inspections

Although the Measure requires the Church to be inspected by an Architect every five years, it should be realised that serious trouble may develop between surveys if minor defects such as displaced slates and leaking pipes, are left unattended.

The P.C.C. is strongly advised to enter into a contract with a local builder for cleaning out the gutters and downpipes twice a year, or more if local conditions make this necessary.

It is recommended that the Parish obtain the Council for the Care of Churches Publication "How to look after your Church (1991)", which gives some very good practical advice on church maintenance.
Fire Insurance

The P.C.C. is advised that the fire insurance cover should be periodically reviewed to keep pace with the rising cost of repairs.

At least two fire extinguishers should be kept in an easily accessible position in the Church and maintained annually.
Cleaning Materials

Some cleaning materials can cause spontaneous combustion if rags on which they were used are stored indoors. All rags used with oils (commonest being linseed oil) should be disposed of at the end of each working session. They should especially not be left in bundles. Care should also be taken with storage of bleaches. Powder and liquid bleaches should not be stored together. Storage of cleaning materials should be in an appropriate locked fire-proof cupboard.
The E.I.G. produce information leaflets which give sound advice on a number of the above areas.

APPENDIX 1

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DISTRIBUTION
1. Copies of the Report, in accordance with the requirements of the Diocesan
  
  scheme, have been sent to:
  
  The Venerable John Stuart Beer
  
  Archdeacon of Huntingdon
  
  &
  
  Miss Jane Logan
  
  Ely DAC Secretary
  
  Bishop Woodford House
  
  Barton Road
  
  Ely
  
  Cambs CB7 4DX