Repairing the spire 

There is an old letter in the presbytery which states work being done to the spire and tower as early as 1870, that is only 20 years after it was built.

Interview with Fr John Lavery about the roof project 

September 2001

FJL: Many will have noticed the flaking plaster and peeling paintwork in certain areas inside the church. The damage was caused by rainwater entering the roofs of the sanctuary, nave and side chapels. Much of the problem was the result of slates coming loose from the roofs, which are in urgent need of repaiг.

Are the roofs that bad?

FJL: From a casual glance at the roofs on the left-hand side of the building, it seems that matters are not so severe. But on the side facing downhill towards the River, it is clear that patches of slates, as well as many single slates, have slipped out of place.

How did this happen?

FJL: The roofs were covered with Welsh slates when they were completed in 1849. They were attached with copper nails to horizontal wooden strips called battens. Copper was used since it did not corrode as fast as other common metals then available. However, even copper nails deteriorate over time, and in recent years the parish has had to have a score of slates replaced every twelve months or so. In 1999, many more slates started to come adrift, as the slating reached the end of its effective life, hence the rain entering the church.There was also a related problem, with some of the old rainwater hoppers and down pipes rusting away, allowing unseen water to build up in the valleys between the high roofs and side chapels. At the same time, some of the Kentish Ragstone in the walls had lost mortar, or had split, also letting water into our church. Nearing 150 years of age, the old place suddenly needed a thorough overhaul

Could we have done something in 1999?

FJL: We did! Once the scale of the problems became apparent, we applied to English Heritage for a grant to help pay for substantial repairs. Fortunately they had a Joint Scheme in operation at the time with the National Heritage section of the Lottery Fund, which made grants for emergency, high-level repairs in Grade II* listed buildings, in targeted areas of the country. Happily for us, Greenwich was one such area.

These grants could not be made for building works which had already started. After making a very detailed application, with the assistance of Watts and Partners, the firm of chartered surveyors in Blackheath, we were told in Autumn 2000 that we were to receive funding of £145,000, this being 60% of the estimated project cost (£241,000). The surveyors project management team then began producing detailed specifications of the necessary repairs, which had to be agreed with the architect at English Heritage.

Invitations to tender were sent out to four firms in June, and the contract was let to Messrs. Harry Neal Ltd in July. They will be the main contractor, using specialist sub-contractors for the scaffolding, stonework, etc. They began work on 28 August as parishioners have seen, with a target completion date in late November.

What is it this time?

An article by Michael Egan - May 2002

Every parishioner will remember the scaffolding which covered the sides of the church for so long last year. Re-roofing of the building was both lengthy and costly. Internal re-wiring was also necessary, again adding heavily to the drain on church funds. Come Easter, it seemed that we had safely escaped from the visitations of the contractors, and only had to pacify the bank manager.

But shortly after Easter, it was noticed that there were serious cracks at the very top of the spire, where the ball at the foot of the cross-like metal finial fits onto the top stone of the spire 150ft. above ground level. See diagram below.

The ornamental cross itself stands about 15ft. higher than the peak of the spire, and high winds create a major force on the metalwork. Thus it is essential for the cross to be attached to a 1in. diameter metal rod of equal length, to be embedded down into the central core of the spire, to counteract this force. It appears that the rod at the foot of the cross was made of iron, which has rusted over the years. This leads to an expansion of the rod, which has forced the top piece of stone outwards. Hence the cracking.

So how would you solve the problem?

We invited a firm of steeplejacks to come from Sussex to inspect the spire in mid April. They had special ladders which can be secured into the stone of the spire with expansion bolts. It took them less than two hours to have a series of connected ladders in place, right up to the top of the spire. Once there, they photographed the cracks at close range, then filled them with a special mortar, and secured heavy copper wire round the uppermost stone, to provide temporary security.

A week later came their inspection report and their quotation more than £16,600 plus VAT to do essential work, in order to anticipate having to replace all the upper 25ft of the spire, which would be seriously expensive.

Apparently, they have to cut away the cross from its long support rod beneath, and bring the cross down to ground level. The rod then has to be dislodged down through its channel inside the upper stonework. It will then be replaced with a stainless steel rod, and reconnected to the cross. All of this will require that a ‘crows nest’ is constructed of scaffolding around the top 25ft. of the spire, to give a working platform for this very tricky operation. At the same time they will repoint the pinnacle above the staircase in the church tower, which also needs attention.

Steeplejacks are difficult to find (would you volunteer to fix a ladder up the outside of the spire, climb up and work at that height?) It costs £500 a day for a pair of them, i.e. £2,500 a week plus VAT. The job could take three weeks or more; stainless steel rod of that size is very expensive; masons must prepare a new top stone, etc. It all adds up alarmingly.

An interesting feature of the steeple was an attack by the rear gunner of a German plane during WWII. Apparently, having escorted heavy bombers onto targets on the River and in the docks, the pilot flew so that his tail gunner could shoot out the clock on the mini Town Hall in Greenwich High Road. He then completed the double by shooting at our spire, leaving the top badly pock-marked. This incident was viewed with some terror from her home in Trafalgar Cottages, by an ex-parishioner, now over 80 years of age, who is living in Kidbrooke.

After the war, the damage was repaired by in-filling with cement. But this produced a two tone zone at the top of the spire as the cement aged to a colour different to the rest of the spire. When major repairs were done to the church in the 1960s, a masonry paint was used to match up the colours, as some present members of the congregation clearly remember.

Additionally, Fr John wrote in march 2006 - In regard to the church spire, it is hoped to begin work in June, if we get the funding from English Heritage. This has been going on for over two years. The work will probably cost £220,000 and we have to pay half of this.

Letters from the architects

18 December 2006

Dear Father Lavery

Spire Repairs Our Ladye Star of the Sea, Greenwich

As you are aware, there has been a pause on site whilst the stone for the new part of the spire is ordered and delivered to site.

Our inspections of the spire have revealed some extra work which could usefully be done at this stage. This work is to the carved stone in and around the openings to the spire. This stone is very badly weathered in places, but because it is complex in shape and would need to be carved if it were to be replaced, the cost of doing so is relatively high.

If all the stone which we think it is a good idea to replace were done, then the parish would need to find an additional £10,000-£15,000, over and above the amounts you have already committed to the project. We enclose the original cash-flow forecast which shows your current financial commitment.

It would be a good idea to do the additional work now, since the scaffold is up; however, we understand that the parish's resources are stretched, and if this extra work cannot be afforded then we wili arrange for less work to be done. This may mean that the next time repairs to the spire become urgent will come around sooner.

We would be grateful of your comments on this do give us a call if you would like to speak to us in more detail about it.

With best wishes.
Tim Gough
for Austin Winkley & Associates

27 February 2008

Dear Father Lavery

Spire Repairs Our Ladye Star of the Sea, Greenwich

The project on the spire is now, we think, complete. We need to make a final inspection and then certify the remainder of the monies due to Church Conservation Ltd. If you have any comments about the work they have carried out, particularly if you have any concerns, please come back to me.

In the meantime, Mr Saidi at English Heritage is very keen for you to apply for the remaining amount of grant, which I think is £5,000. In order to do this, an account needs to be drawn up for the total cost of the project, including all professional fees. Unfortunately, we do not have a list of all the professional fees on record, and therefore we would be grateful if you could supply us with copies of invoices relating to the project, or a list of them. We can then draw up an account.

This list will also be helpful in applying for another grant (in addition to the English Heritage one), namely the Listed Places of Worship grant. This covers the VAT you have paid on the project.

If it is helpful, we can run through this with you when I visit site, which I can do Monday or Thursday next week.

With best wishes 
Tim Gough

for Austin Winkley & Associates

Further repairs In 2019

 There was emergency repairs carried out by Stanesby architects when some of the stone was coming away on the tower and side chapel. A generous benefactor donated £60,000 of the costs at the time. See newsletter below, and some photos in the restoration gallery