Happy Birthday to you St Giles Church – conserved for 800 years!

We were delighted to be invited to the 800th birthday celebrations of this 13th century church on 11th October 2015

This church has had a number of problems, but considering its age, probably not unexpected! I often wonder when these amazing buildings were first built, did the people building them really expect them to be around for this amount of time?

Taken on in 2013 we identified significant problems with the building and a repairs project was undertaken. However, following a fall of plaster and further investigations by ourselves along with the structural engineer and the builder already engaged on the repairs, things pointed to more serious problems. The arch between the nave and the chancel presented serious structural issues, which resulted in the temporary closure of St Giles Church in December 2013. Structural support and propping was put in place to make the building safe until repairs could be carried out. Plans were approved for an upgrade of the external drainage systems and specific masonry repairs were undertaken to rebuild the chancel nave arch along with repairs to the external chancel wall.

Following this successful project, we are currently preparing plans for a re-ordering project to ensure the continued use of this Grade I church.

Happy Birthday to you St Giles Church – conserved for 800 years!