The very first work on the restoration was completed in November and December. Scaffolding was erected along the church's side aisles and the Lady Chapel, as well as by the tower and on the Lombard Street side of the building. The badly damaged slate on the aisle roofs and above the organ chamber were removed, as was the metal roof of the Lady Chapel.
The very first work on the restoration was completed in November and December. Scaffolding was erected along the church's side aisles and the Lady Chapel, as well as by the tower and on the Lombard Street side of the building. The badly damaged slate on the aisle roofs and above the organ chamber were removed, as was the metal roof of the Lady Chapel.
Rubber roofing (left) has been applied to all those areas, to be ultimately replaced with new slate or copper later in the project. This new temporary roofing will yield an immediate benefit, as it will prevent further water infiltration this winter through those particularly compromised areas.The contractors conducted numerous other exploratory "probes," allowing the architects to learn vital details of the actual construction. You may have seen the temporary covering of the large holes in the staircase walls as they discovered important information on how the Parish House was built and connected to the existing cloister. Holes were dug in the gym and the basement to examine the footings. Beams in the Peabody Hall ceiling were opened to examine the structural elements and the way in which they are tied into the supporting wall.
The roofing and probes have been completed; the scaffolding now removed. There is much design work to be done this winter before the actual construction work restarts in the spring.
