Project St. Mary’s

Reports from sustainability and conservation experts

It’s a few months since  we gave you an update on progress with Project St. Mary’s. We have had two important reports on the state of the church building which we are now dealing with and will build into our future plans.

The first was commissioned by the Church Buildings Council, London . The report stated that ‘St. Mary’s church is unarguably one of the most important painted churches in England.  Most of the interior wall surface is adorned with wall paintings dating from the thirteenth through to the turn of the twentieth century, with the majority dating from around the turn of the twentieth century when the church underwent a significant restoration. Important survivals from both the medieval period and post reformation do remain, and of these those in the south transept are the very significant indeed’. The report makes recommendations regarding the existing heating, securing paint and plaster, electrical fixings, cleaning, pebble dash cladding and guttering.

The second was commissioned by the St. Mary’s Project  from a Sustainability Director specialising in historic buildings / energy efficiency .  The engineer took a wide view of the building, looking at why damp and staining occurred and how the air moves through the building.   He also inspected the outside and suggested further studies.

With regard to the new building we have had good feedback from the Diocese regarding our latest architect  plans and have been advised to engage with a local archaeologist to assist with understanding further the issues underground.

These are exciting times ahead for all involved with St. Mary’s church in Aldermaston – to keep in touch with progress and to see how you can help please visit our website at http://project-stmarys.uk/ or at www.facebook.com/projectstmarys

Thank you for your support,  Ian Cave