Appeal for urgent repairs |
A landmark for miles around, St John's is the third church since the 12th century to overlook the village of Keele. A Grade 2" listed building, completed in 1870, it is an outstanding example of restrained Victorian Gothic.
The Church Officers are extremely grateful for the response to the appeal launched in June 2005 for the first phase of essential work on the fabric of St John's. The appeal raised £24,000 thanks to the generosity of our congregation, our supporters in the wider community and a number of public grant giving bodies. This response has allowed us to undertake all the work identified as extremely urgent in the first phase of the appeal and has provided us with a credible basis for launching the second phase of the appeal to replace the cast iron gutters and downpipes. As was anticipated in the brochure announcing the first phase, the sum required for this work, now estimated at £50,000, can be expected to be beyond the capability of the local community and we are therefore seeking support from English Heritage. However English Heritage support can be expected to be limited to no more than two-thirds of the sum required and we are therefore seeking to raise some £17,000 in this appeal to demonstrate our commitment and the value the local community places on the continued presence of a structurally sound St John's Church in Keele.
Fabric restoration recently completed
This brochure provides details of what has been achieved with the appeal monies received to date and what are the aims for the second phase of the appeal. When the first phase was launched the three areas of particular concern were:
- replacement of two finial crosses, one at the east end of the nave, and the other at the end of the chancel at a total cost of £15,000;
- reconstruction of the upper parts of the ornate chimney stack which incorporates two flues including the flue to the central heating boiler at a cost of £6,000
- protection of the stained glass west window by installing a transparent polycarbonate sheet across the whole window at a cost of £3,000.
The first two items were of particular concern because, apart from the deterioration of the stonework itself, there was the risk of fractures in the crosses resulting in falling masonry causing serious damage to the chancel roof. Both the replacement of the finial crosses and the reconstruction of the chimney stack have been completed and the above photograph shows the replacement cross installed at the east end of the chancel.
As a Grade 2" listed building, work on St John's has to be undertaken to very high standards. We are fortunate in having been able to commission contractors with the necessary skills and with experience in working at high level on a very exposed site. The hazards in installing a finial cross are well illustrated by the adjacent photograph which shows the raising of the replacement cross at the east end of the chancel. The cross is approximately four feet high and weighs about two hundredweight. Apart from the risks of damage to a piece of expensively carved stone, an error in manoeuvring such a heavy load in difficult circumstances would have resulted in serious damage to the chancel roof.
The urgency for work to protect the west window is due to deterioration of the leading of the stained glass, with the result that not only was rain penetrating into the nave but the window itself was becoming increasingly vulnerable to the strong prevailing west winds with the risk that major sections of the window might be blown into the nave. The polycarbonate shielding is perfectly transparent and the beauty of the stained glass, will be undimmed by its presence.
Work for which funds are being sought through this appeal
St John's, built as a gift by Ralph Sneyd, was constructed from high quality materials with the gutters and downpipes made from cast iron. If we are to obtain funding from English Heritage towards the cost of their replacement, they will have to be in the style of the original fittings and fabricated from the same materials.
As can be seen from the photograph below, despite it only showing a relatively small part of St John's, the building has a complex roof structure which necessitates an extensive system of gutters and downpipes to remove surface water from the building. Over the years these fittings have suffered deterioration through rust with the result that water is leaking from them into the main fabric of the building as can be seen from staining of internal stone work. The major concern is however with the possibility of damage to the structure that is not immediately visible. Representatives of English Heritage and Newcastle-under-Lyme Borough Council with special responsibility for restoration projects have visited St John's and agree that the need for replacement of the rain water system is urgent. Agencies like English Heritage currently have many demands on the funds available for restoration work and there can be no guarantee that the application which we will be submitting by the June 2007 deadline will be successful. However there can be no doubt that our chances of receiving support will gain enormously if we can demonstrate the capacity to raise the necessary matching funds.
We can point to the past success of the strategy that aims to match funding sought from funding agencies with that raised from our congregation and the local community. We have received monies from the Staffordshire Historic Churches Trust, Keele Parish Council and Newcastle-underLyme Borough Council to support work which had a clear community interest through the continued presence of a well maintained parish church and churchyard, serving as a resource available to the village school and the local population generally. In this context the various works undertaken in the Churchyard, for which we receive valuable support from Keele Parish Council, are of particular importance since they highlight the relationship of St John's to the local community. St John's churchyard provides one of the most attractive settings for a parish church as any in the Lichfield Diocese and it is important that it is maintained as a place for quiet reflection from where the magnificent view to the Welsh border and hills can be enjoyed.
St John's in the wider community
It is not only the gateway to the churchyard but also symbolises the interface between St John's and the village and in particular our commitment to contributing as fully as possible to the life of Keele. Our four Yew Knight Suppers each year are an opportunity for neighbours to meet. Our fund-raising events not only support our Fabric Restoration Fund but also contribute to the cultural life of Keele through a variety of events and in particular to an increasing number of concerts which benefit from the excellent acoustics of St John's. In addition to bringing established musicians to Keele, these events also provide a platform for young performers, including the Stoke-on-Trent City Youth Choir and the City Young Performers, rehearsal space for Keele University's Bach Choir, and recently, in conjunction with a Keele University Summer School, facilities for a finale concert by Singing for Pleasure.
This Appeal as part of a longer term strategy for preserving the fabric of St John's
The officers of St John's recognise that the local community, as much as funding agencies when they receive requests for support such as this, will reasonably expect to see how the monies sought and the work proposed fits into an overall strategy for the maintenance of the fabric. In this respect nothing has changed from the longer term strategy outlined in the brochure accompanying the first phase of this appeal. The Diocese requires regular inspections of the fabric by nominated independent architects. Also our contractors, during their replacement of lead flashings throughout the roof and the replacement of the two finial crosses, have taken advantage of the opportunity to make a general inspection of the roof areas and the lower part of the spire. The spire itself was the subject of major restoration relatively recently and the conclusion from these inspections is that, once the gutters and downpipes are replaced, we can expect that the roof and high level elements should not require major restoration for the foreseeable future. With this secured, our whole community can be confident that this wonderful Grade 2" building - one of the finest examples of restrained Victorian Gothic in Staffordshire - will continue to grace the village and its skyline.
This appeal has been delivered in brochure form to every house in the Parish. We hope you will feel that preservation of the external fabric of St John's is worthy of your support and that you will be able to make a contribution towards these essential repairs.
If you feel you would like to contribute to to this very necessary appeal would you please contact:
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The Revd Stuart Ansell Vicar of St John the Baptist, Keele The Vicarage, 21 Pepper Street, Silverdale Newcastle, Staffs, ST5 6QJ Telephone: 01782 616804 Email: sandkansell@ukonline.co.uk |
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Thank You |
