Reach Church: Ruined Arch
Conservation of stonework
Client
Year
Construction cost
The Vicar and PCC
£30,000
2018
Role
Architect
Type
CONSERVATION OF HISTORIC BUILDINGS
This arch is the ruined east wall of the medieval church of St John. It now sits to the north-east of the church of St Etheldreda, built in 1860. The stone is primarily clunch and the site is listed at grade II. The arch is on the boundary of the churchyard. In 2007, masonry pieces started to fall into the churchyard and adjoining property. Repairs were undertaken, but these failed quickly and the arch became dangerous again. In 2018 I was asked to specify repairs that would preserve the arch and be as durable as possible. I inspected the arch at close range from a cherry picker and developed a specification for rough racking in close consultation with the ecclesiastical planning authorities. This technique preserves the ruined appearance of the arch top while shedding water and preventing further degradation.
I worked on this project while at Freeland Rees Roberts.