Church Roof Repair Update.

Todays weekly project meeting took place today at 2pm between Chris Hewitt (PCC Project Manager) David Glew (Architect) and Paul Mendham (Principal Contractor).

I am pleased to report the project is now slightly ahead of schedule and the Chancel roof will be finished early next week. The scaffolding will then be reduced in size and moved to the nave. Hirst Consevation were also on site today and have been completing the final touchup of the chancel ceiling  and rafters. Over the next three weeks chancel lighting will be installed and some stencil restoration will take place to the chancel east wall.

If anyone wants any roof tiles all those currently on the North Nave aspect are for sale. There are approx 8000 tiles ( 4500 plain 10.5" x 6.5" red dreadnought machine made & 3500 red club tiles made by Nostell). They are currently on the roof but are available from early December. If you want to see a sample close up, contact Chris Hewitt 01526 320645.

2011 Spires and Steeples Challenge

The History of Nocton - A Centenary Presentation

The History of Nocton: a presentation of a lantern slide show first shown in October 1911, in Nocton Village Hall, Main Street , Nocton, on Wednesday 12 October 2011 at 7.30 p.m.

The script and original images from the lantern slides have been saved, so the evening will take you back to Nocton in 1911.  Desserts and wine to follow.  Tickets, in aid of buying flowers for the 2012 Nocton Church Flower Festival , are £5 if bought in advance, or £6 on the door.

For tickets, phone 01526 322930, or 322739, or 321455.

This is how it looked in 1862

The South side of the chancel today, just how it must have looked in 1862. The pattern is quite complex and has been the subject of much debate. Thanks to the roofing team for their fabulous work to date.

Ahead of schedule!

Thats the outcome of the last roof project review we had last Friday.After a slow start things are moving well. All parties...PCC, Architect, Builder, Conservators are working hand in hand to achieve what looks to be an astounding finished product,

After much debate the roof pattern has been determined and is going on to plan. The conservators have taken away the damaged North chancel fresco and are removing wall salts before it is restored. The chancel ceiling has been cleaned and is about to have some slight restoration work. We have also decided and have permission to install ceiling lights in the chancel to illuminate the newly restored and we are also going to restore the original 1875 stencilling to the East Chancel wall over the great window.

No need to say more just look at the pictures:

The New South Chancel Roof

The Uncovered East Chancel wall Stencilling which will be restored

Cleaned and partially restored Chancel Ceiling.

Structural repairs to the SE Chancel pinnacle

The damaged fresco on the Chancel North wall has been removed for restoration.

Wine Tasting Evening - Sat 27th Aug

Just a reminder that on Saturday 27th Aug there is another fantastic wine tasting evening at the Village Hall. They have been great evenings in the past with lots of expert wine knowledge on show. There are a few tickets left but they are going fast. If you require any, please get the tickets from the Nocton Social Club Bar (£15 - Includes all wine and food) Tuesday or Thursday evening this week.

Or give me a call on 01526 320645

150th Coop Birthday Grant - To Produce New Guide Book.

Thanks to an application on behalf of Nocton PCC, by Sue Morris and Carol Bennett, we have been awarded £1000 by Lincolnshire Coop as part of its 150th birthday celebrations, to produce a new guide book for the church. The current guide is over 20 years old with limited photographs so it will be a great to have a new glossy book available. As next year is also our 150th anniversary it seems a very appropriate time to launch it.

The next step will be to come up with some conceptual idea's. I know Carol and Sue have things in mind, which we as a PCC look forward to seeing soon.

Our sincere thanks are sent to Sue and Carol for their efforts thus far.

Additionally, Nocton School have also been awarded £1000 by the Coop to set up a kitchen to teach the pupils cookery. Well done to them alsol!

For a matter of interest, there were 700 applications for the 150 grants awarded!!

Update on Church Repairs...It's Going Well!

The work is well underway now with scaffolding towering above the Chancel to the height of the Nave ridge.

The initial work is to remove the Large coping staones on the eastern edge of the Nave to allow lead to be inserted and the stones to be reseated. The large patch of water staining on the 'Christ in Majesty' fresco on the western side of the chancel arch seems to have been coming in from open gaps in the joints where the large base kneeler stone has been seperating from the building. This is now under repair and should !!! cure that problem.

We have also had the ceiling of the chancel inside the church partially cleaned, there is more to do but the images are already bursting into life.

Paul Mendham has also taken measurements and a template of the cross at the eastern Nave end to investigate the cost to replace the missing western Nave end cross which fell down some 10 years ago with a similar one. There are no records we are aware of that show the cross that originally stood on the Western Apex, it may have been the same or different.

Work continues and over the next 10 days a large temporary roof will be erected over the chancel to protect the roof when the tiles are removed.

NB. All the high level scaffolding has now been alarmed with infrared beam sensors which phone out in the event of being activated.

It's All Happening Now!

Scaffolding is now going up around the Chancel. The first major job to be undertaken will be the removal of the Nave East End Coping Stones to be reseated when Lead Flashing has been fitted. This will be done prior to the chancel roof to stop debris falling on the new roof.

Ceiling Condition Survey

Hirst Consrvation have spent today completing a detailed pphotographic condition survey of the Chancel ceiling prior to external works commencing. Their task in the project is to clean and repair the chancel ceiling along with the repair of the North Chancel wall. Having been up the scaffolding today I really dont envy the working environment they will have to suffer.

Blog Updated with Summer Information.

This months Message, Magazine and Service times have now been uploaded. There will be no paper magazine during August, the next issue will be mid-September. My copy cut off date for the September issue will be Sept 10th. Please start thinking what you could submit, photos, articles etc. A lot goes on in Nocton, it's good we all know about it!

Church in the Village Hall.

Last Sunday saw us transfer to the Village Hall for our fortnightly service of Holy Communion, here in Nocton. It was a great success. I'm sure the singing was much improved from that we normally hear in church!!

We will continue the services in the village hall untill the church is fully reopened. The target date for completion is the end of January 2012.

George Gilbert Scott's Bicentenary

Today is the 200th anniversary of the birth of Sir George Gilbert Scott. Glibert Scott was the architect employed by Lady Ripon to design All Saints Church in Nocton, as a 'fitting memorial' to her late husband Frederick Robinson, 1st Earl of Ripon. Gilbert Scott built in a style called Gothic Revival, which was extremely popular mid 19th century as the Victorians looked back to the 11th and 12th centuries, a period they regarded as creating buildings of the finest quality.

Repairs are now well underway to our Gothic Revival church which also has a major birthday (150 years) next years.

Lincolnshire Churches Trust, Award A Grant Towards Our Repairs

Another big thanks, this time to the Lincolnshire Churches Trust and its secretary, Des Underwood. I applied for a grant from them to make up some of the shortfall on the roof. Des and I toured the church a couple of weeks ago, and on the 28th June their grants committee awarded us another £5000 to toward our reroofing project. It is very much appreciated.

We are very much in the final stages of fund raising and are around £8,000 short now. Occasionally something unexpected comes up, this time it's our insurance premium for the church which has increased by £1339.86!!!!! to cover the period the builders are at work.

Emptied & Closed ....but the business of God still goes on!

After a busy weekend of a wedding on Saturday and a baptism today the church has finally beem closed for the roof repairs. Thanks to the huge team who helped empty and pack away and move key things to the village hall so our worship can continue.

L-R  Doreen Green, Ann Kennedy & Jim Eagle

The church looks very sad and forlorn as we left it but with the builders taking over tomorrow we are already looking forward to the repairs and our re-occupation early next year.

As for now our services continue unchanged, now taking place in the village hall, on the normal sundays at the normal times, we look forward to seeing you.