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The Restoration of the Vaulted Ceiling,
2002-2006
St Mary's is most unusual among English parish
churches in having a stone vault soaring above the three tiers of arcade,
triforium and clerestory, such a degree of splendour being found normally
only in cathedrals and former abbey churches. The restoration and reconstruction
of this medieval vault, with its Caen stone 'ribs' and chalk 'webs' between
the ribs, has been one of the biggest such projects for many years, and,
like the building itself, the work that has been done is significant in national,
as well as local, terms.
Choir vault prior to restoration
Choir vault prior to restoration
It was first realised that all was not well with
the vault in 1991. Quantities of stone dust from the ribs of the vault and
of limewash, which had recently been applied to the twentieth-century cement
and plaster rendering on the underside of the webs, began to appear on
the pews below on a regular basis; and then the architect, when investigating
the problem, unexpectedly found himself putting his foot through the vault
from above! By 1997 it became necessary to undertake a ground penetrating
radar survey of the vault, and this revealed that, although in some places
the webbing was still solid chalk, in others it was little more than dust,
while many areas had been patched up in stone, brick or concrete. It was
evident that much of the masonry was so badly decayed that there was a real
danger of injury to worshippers and visitors from falling pieces of stone,
and indeed the possibility that whole sections of the vault could collapse.
| Following this it was agreed
that the entire vault would have to be reconstructed, with the chalk webbing
being completely replaced with new chalk blocks from Duncton Quarry near
Petworth, but with the original Caen stone ribs retained and poulticed to
draw out the salt which had found its way into the vault and caused its deterioration.
The decision as to how best to reconstruct the vault had to be taken by
the Architect in the light of the information that came from the demolition
of the existing webs and from other medieval chalk vaults both in this country
and in the north of France, and in the awareness that 'whatever was erected
had to follow irregularly curving ribs and fit together on top of them.' |
Demolishing the thin vault webs
|
The first phase of the work, the reconstruction of the westernmost and most seriously decayed of the five bays of the vault, was carried out during 2002-3. The architect was Mr Richard Andrews of Carden and Godfrey of London, and the contractors were the Cathedral Works Organisation of Chichester. This pioneering work was rewarded with a prestigious Sussex Heritage Award, the judges noting 'Outstanding restoration of complex medieval structure. Careful research of the original methodology enabled the unequal bays to be restored using tapered courses'. At the same time the Architect was 'runner-up' for the national Ecclesiastical Architects' & Surveyors' Association's King of Prussia Gold Medal.
Completed westernmost choir vault,
from below
'Phase 2', the restoration of the remaining four
of the five bays of the vault, took place during 2005-6, once again under
the direction of the Church's Architect, Mr Richard Andrews, but this time
the contractor was Joslins,
Stonemasons of Long Hanborough, Oxfordshire (Contracts Manager, Mr
Shaun Hester). This phase lasted for a full year, during which the church's
normal services and life were maintained beneath a scaffolding 'crash deck'
which was ingeniously suspended across the building from the north triforium
to the south triforium. The stonemasons worked on a platform positioned
above this deck, and, at a still higher level, in the cramped conditions
of the roof-space over the vault.
Laying squared chalk bricks, from above
Finishing chalk brickwork, from above
Because it was unsafe to walk along the top of the vault the contractor constructed a timber runway in the roof-space, along which a trolley ran to and from the external hoist in order to remove the old decayed stone from the church and bring in the new stone. In addition to the skilled work done by the masons themselves, Mr Rob Upton of Shoreham was employed as the carpenter responsible for erecting in each bay of the vault in turn the finely-constructed timber framework used by the masons to enable the old webs to be safely dismantled and the vault to be rebuilt to the same shape as before.
Laying squared chalk bricks, from above
Finishing chalk brickwork, from above
Because it was unsafe to walk along the top of the vault the contractor constructed a timber runway in the roof-space, along which a trolley ran to and from the external hoist in order to remove the old decayed stone from the church and bring in the new stone. In addition to the skilled work done by the masons themselves, Mr Rob Upton of Shoreham was employed as the carpenter responsible for erecting in each bay of the vault in turn the finely-constructed timber framework used by the masons to enable the old webs to be safely dismantled and the vault to be rebuilt to the same shape as before.
|
Wooden centring, from above
|
Through a combination of the dedication and skills of all those involved in both phases of the restoration the vault is now once again safe and secure. It is also glorious to behold, with the poulticed and repaired stone ribs still essentially as they were built in c. 1200, and the reconstructed and unrendered chalk webs probably closer in appearance to the originals now than for many years past.
The new carved Boss in the centre of the
Vault
To mark the completion of the restoration of the
vault a new Boss was commissioned. This is the architectural name for the
'keystone' which locks the 'ribs' of the vault at their point of intersection.
Such stones can be left uncarved, but in most great medieval churches they
were decorated with images drawn from the life of the Church and of the
world around them.
Of the three vault bosses at St Mary's two have foliage decoration, while that in the centre was formerly smaller and quite plain. This has now been replaced with a carving which reflects the church’s dedication and history, and at the same time crowns the work of restoration, and carries the date '2005'.
Within the floral border there is a simple representation of a boat, inspired by the image on the reverse side of the medieval Borough Seal of New Shoreham, which is reproduced on the screen at the entrance to St George's Chapel in the North Transept. As the Norman French/Latin title St Mary de Haura reminds us, St Mary's has always been the 'harbour' church, and there is a very long history of shipping and shipbuilding in the parish. The boat is also an ancient symbol for the Christian Church, and so puts us in mind of all the worship and witness carried out in this place during the past nine centuries.
We are very fortunate that Joslins were able to secure the services of Mr Bil Brown of Oxford to carve the new boss. His work can be seen at buildings all over the country, including Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor, and Windsor Castle; the Globe Theatre and the Stock Exchange in London; Christ Church Cathedral, Lincoln College and Magdalen College in Oxford; and Chichester Cathedral.
In commissioning the new boss we have had the support of the Chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester, the Council for the Care of Churches, English Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The boss has been donated in memory of the late Mrs Joyce Andrews, mother of Mr Richard Andrews, the Church's Architect.
Of the three vault bosses at St Mary's two have foliage decoration, while that in the centre was formerly smaller and quite plain. This has now been replaced with a carving which reflects the church’s dedication and history, and at the same time crowns the work of restoration, and carries the date '2005'.
The new Boss incorporates a floral border in
keeping with the style of the two medieval bosses, but this time featuring
intertwined roses and lilies. Both flowers are associated with the Blessed
Virgin Mary (to whom the Church is dedicated) in Christian iconography.
For example, in paintings of the Annunciation (the visit of the angel Gabriel
to Mary to announce that she was to be the mother of the Saviour) lilies
are almost always present, while Mary is herself often described as the 'mystic
Rose', as in the hymn Crown him with many crowns. Through their association
with Mary these flowers also put us in mind of the birth of our Lord Jesus
Christ at Christmas, and lilies are used to decorate churches in honour of
his Resurrection at Easter, as well.
New carved boss in vault, showing boat
and flowers
Within the floral border there is a simple representation of a boat, inspired by the image on the reverse side of the medieval Borough Seal of New Shoreham, which is reproduced on the screen at the entrance to St George's Chapel in the North Transept. As the Norman French/Latin title St Mary de Haura reminds us, St Mary's has always been the 'harbour' church, and there is a very long history of shipping and shipbuilding in the parish. The boat is also an ancient symbol for the Christian Church, and so puts us in mind of all the worship and witness carried out in this place during the past nine centuries.
We are very fortunate that Joslins were able to secure the services of Mr Bil Brown of Oxford to carve the new boss. His work can be seen at buildings all over the country, including Blenheim Palace, Waddesdon Manor, and Windsor Castle; the Globe Theatre and the Stock Exchange in London; Christ Church Cathedral, Lincoln College and Magdalen College in Oxford; and Chichester Cathedral.
In commissioning the new boss we have had the support of the Chancellor of the Diocese of Chichester, the Council for the Care of Churches, English Heritage and the Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings. The boss has been donated in memory of the late Mrs Joyce Andrews, mother of Mr Richard Andrews, the Church's Architect.
The Reconstructed Wheel Window and Carved
Capital
During Phase 2 of the Vault Restoration the Wheel
Window which lights the roof-space above the vault was removed so as to
enable the stonemasons to gain entrance to this area from the external scaffolding
erected at the east end of the church. The masonry of the Wheel Window,
a notable feature of St Mary's as seen from East Street, was badly decayed,
and so Joslins skilfully
reconstructed it, faithfully reproducing the design of the stonework they
had removed.
Reconstructed wheel window
At the same time, they also replaced the carved capital of a column close to the vestries at the 'crossing', which had completely disintegrated in recent years.
New carved capital at the crossing
Reconstructed wheel window
At the same time, they also replaced the carved capital of a column close to the vestries at the 'crossing', which had completely disintegrated in recent years.
New carved capital at the crossing
Paying for the Work
Phase 1 of the Vault Restoration in 2002-3, costing
some £200,000, was paid for entirely by the Friends of St Mary's Church out of gifts and legacies
accumulated over many years. The Friends also made a substantial contribution
to Phase 2 (total estimated cost £477,802), but 56% of the Funding
for this phase (£257,000) was provided by English Heritage/the
Heritage Lottery Fund. Other grants have come from the Historic
Churches Preservation Trust, the Sussex Historic Churches Trust,
the Alan Evans Memorial Trust, the Chase Charity, the Garfield
Weston Foundation, the Lesley David Trust, St Mary of the
Harbour Lodge, Shoreham & Southwick Round Table and Sir
Richard Sutton's Settled Estates, as well as from a number of smaller
charitable trusts and local businesses. In addition, many individuals have
contributed to the cost of the Restoration, either by supporting fund-raising
events, or by means of donations, or by 'sponsoring' the new chalk blocks
which have been placed in the vault, in return for which they received
a certificate and made an entry in a book which is being kept for posterity.
Funding future Repairs and Maintenance
Despite all the assistance the church has received,
our funds have been severely depleted by this project, and donations towards
essential repair and maintenance work still to be undertaken (including
Phase 2 of the essential work of re-wiring and re-lighting) would be most
gratefully received. Please also consider becoming one of the Friends of St Mary's Church.
Thank you very much indeed for your kind help, which is greatly appreciated.
Thank you very much indeed for your kind help, which is greatly appreciated.
Text: Revd Victor Standing, Vicar
Photos: Richard Andrews, Church Architect/
Shaun Hester, Joslins/Giles Standing
Photos: Richard Andrews, Church Architect/
Shaun Hester, Joslins/Giles Standing