Church of St Swithun, Long Bennington, is a Grade I listed church in the Lincoln Diocese.
The Chancel roof was leaking and there was significant decay to the timber trusses. The rainwater arrangement was poor, and the water disposal was affecting the ground around the perimeter of the church, which was particularly damp, and there was structural movement. The Church of St Swithun is on Historic England’s Heritage at Risk register and was awarded an NLHF Repair Grant for Listed Places of Worship for the repairs.
The investigation stage identified a number of issues. The Chancel roof and rainwater goods needed replacing and the structural movement needed ongoing monitoring, and stone repairs and repointing were required. Localised investigations identified a very high-water table and found that two soakaways were very close to the church, so consideration was needed to divert the surface water drainage away from the building. Internally plaster repairs were required where it had de-bonded following water ingress.
The roof was stripped, and the damaged timbers repaired. The new lead roof covering was laid with solid rolls, and although the timber trusses were in poor condition, the main roof timbers were sound. New lead gutters and cast-iron rainwater goods were formed to new falls with enlarged catch pits, and stone repairs and repointing was undertaken where needed. Gullies were provided below each new down pipe and connected to a new surface water drainage system and structural movement has been limited to seasonal adjustments – more in line with clay soil.
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