Repair to the Tower at St Mary’s Church XI I

XIII

I

X

II IV

VII I

IX

III

VI

V II

Repair to St Mary’s Tower has been on the agenda for some time. We follow recommended practice in having a 5-yearly inspection on the condition of our churches by a specialist architect. This was most recently done in July 2011 by West Waddy ADP of Abingdon. Thanks to the extensive work done for re-ordering in 2009–10 at St Mary’s, and other repairs routinely undertaken, both our churches are in fairly good condition. The one significant item remaining to be done from the 2011 inspection is repair to St Mary’s Tower. It shows significant decay to stone work both at parapet level as well as the walling below. As you all know, the west elevation of the Tower is directly on the side of St Martin’s Street, a busy thoroughfare with traffic including buses passing by. Consequently, access scaffolding would have to span the road and would form a significant part of the preliminaries. It therefore makes sense to undertake as much restoration work as possible with the scaffolding in place. We will therefore include replacement of the lead roof, which will need to be done anyway within the next 5 years.

V

What needs to be done?

How do we do it and how much will it cost? Last year the PCC instructed West Waddy to compile a specification of the work needed and to put it out to tender. This was done, and we have what the architect considers to be a very competitive tender from a contractor. We have told the contractor they are likely to be appointed when funds are available. The cost at current price levels plus architect’s supervision fees amounts roundly to £153,000. We have a faculty from the Diocese of Oxford for the proposed work, and we will apply for licences for scaffolding and road closures before work commences.

What benefits do we get from it? Repairing the tower enables us to carry on using St Mary’s for worship on Sundays and other days, and for various community activities during the week, without the worry of major leaks or falling masonry. It will re-assure our band of bellringers and provide security for the ten bells in the chamber. The tower room and the clergy vestry are important and well used spaces and are an integral part of the church.

We have made a full application to BIFFA (a landfill tax award for which we meet the necessary criteria), having passed the preliminary stage. They have encouraged us to apply for a a grant of £50,000 which will get us close to the £153,000 we need. The decision process is long, and we will not know until April or May. We have a Tower Fund in place, which has benefited from various fundraising events during 2015.

What about VAT? The project cost of £153,000 is liable to VAT @ 20% which will be charged. We can reclaim this under the Listed places of Worship Scheme, but only in retrospect. To assist our cash flow, Wallingford Town Council have offered us an interest free loan, for which we are most grateful.

What if we don’t bother?

What if we don’t get a grant?

At some point crumbling masonry and loose flints will start falling from the tower, causing serious risk of injury to passers-by and motorists particularly on the west elevation. We will then be obliged to undertake emergency repairs including scaffolding, which will prove much more expensive than the way we now propose.

There are other potential grant sources, though they are more limited when we are unable to demonstrate additional community use or outcomes as we were able to do for the reordering project. Where public money is involved, including from the lottery, the application process is lengthy and slow, so we judge it best to await a decision on the BIFFA application.

How do we pay for it? We are holding reserves in the PCC account in excess of what we need, with the tower repair in mind, so we have that at our disposal. We also have pledges from the Friends, and from the Historic Churches Trust, both of whom have offered substantial sums for which we are most grateful. So we have the following sources to date: Wallingford Parochial Church Council – from reserves £50,000 Friends of St Mary’s and St Leonard’s Churches £35,000 Oxford Historic Churches Trust £15,000 £100,000

We have not ruled out a general appeal or giving day, but we do not want to devote too much energy to that if other sources can be found.

Roger Morgan, 2.16