Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Storm-hit church spire rises again
SIX months after people watched on horrified as TV news showed the spire on St Thomas Church in Wells becoming a high-profile victim of Storm Eunice, work to replace the spire has been going on this week.
Specialist insurer Ecclesiastical has led the restoration project using its network of suppliers who are experts in restoring damaged heritage properties.
Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, based in Wells, was appointed to work on restoring the spire, which suffered significant damage after it fell to the ground.
It was painstakingly pieced back together before an exact replica was carved using traditional techniques. The replacement has additional reinforcement to help prevent it falling in the future.
Meanwhile, the original weather vane has been straightened and restored.
The church was opened in 1857, the inspiration of Richard Jenkyns, then dean of Wells Cathedral.
The decision to build it followed controversy after a census showed that only 32 per cent of the city’s population could attend services.
Ecclesiastical’s claims director, Jeremy Trott, said: “This is so often the moment of truth for customers and I’m delighted we’ve been able to work with contractors with the skills and knowledge to help restore St Thomas’s Church to its former glory.”
The Rev Claire Towns, priest-incharge at St Thomas’s, said on Tuesday: “We’re now in August, six months since we lost the top of the spire. It’s going back up in the next few days. That is a wonderful thing physically, but also symbolically – the restored spire a symbol of hope and of new life for the people of this parish and city.
“We are hugely thankful to all those who have offered us prayers, encouragement and support in the past few months, and, of course, we are thankful to our insurer, Ecclesiastical, for making this possible and for the personal care and skill of all those involved in the spire works.” James Preston, director at Sally Strachey Historic Conservation, said: “Working on a project like this has been the opportunity of a lifetime for a team like ours. We have combined the uses of our in-house steeplejacking and rope access team and masons, from the initial emergency works through to the complete renewal of the top section of the spire in our workshops.
“We have also worked alongside a great team of professionals to come up with the design and strengthening work. This will help to ensure the success of the new works going forward into our new, unknown and ever-changing climate.
“I hope no more spires fall in my time as a mason, but if one does, we’d now be well-versed.”
The installation of the spire, which started on Tuesday, is due to take five days to complete, with a time-lapse camera capturing every step of the process.