Re-ordering Update – January
At long last the final stage of reordering has begun! The keys were handed over to the contractor on Monday 8th January and by the end of Day 1 many of the floorboards had been lifted revealing the void and rubble beneath.
The timber flooring had been installed in the 1960s and was of very poor quality, and after removal it was evident that the workmanship was not brilliant. The joists were supported on piles of bricks without any mortar, and worryingly the joist under the left hand front row pew had rotted through.
The faculty did not require us to employ an archaeologist unless anything of interest was found. However, one was summoned when the flooring was removed, because just beyond the ramp an opening was revealed, (pic below)
and a further opening towards the vestry showed a tunnel linking the nave area to the boiler room below the vestry. It is big enough for a person to crawl in and we understand it was for the workmen when the large heating pipes were fitted. The archaeologist, Dr George Nash, has recorded any relevant evidence including the medieval slab covering the entrance. This will be reused.
(I did think I had spotted a missing monument that Eric Miller is eager to find as I thought I could see the head of a statue, but it turned out to be the oval shape of the remains of a bag of cement!)
There is also a thick heavy pipe going diagonally towards the pulpit. It looks like a heating pipe, but is apparently a pipe which would have linked to an organ in days gone by. Now obsolete, but it will be left in situ. (see below)
At the time of writing all timber has been removed and new joists are being put in place on proper brick pillars. Getting hold of English oak and stone is quite difficult at the moment as much of it has been stockpiled for the rebuilding of Notre Dame.
David Webber Churchwarden