Heavy lifting at Lightcliffe

The elegant eighteenth-century dome and supporting lantern on top of the tower are a surprisingly complex little structure. Over the past few weeks, our appointed specialist team – conservation architect, structural engineer and heritage contractor – has used the scaffold to better understand how all the various elements fit together, their condition and past repairs. Working in conjunction with the local council's conservation officer, this has enabled us to develop and agree on the final repair proposals.

The stonework of the dome and lantern is in very poor condition due, largely, to the corrosion and expansion of the iron cramps that hold the individual stones together. These cramps and other iron fixings were an integral part of the original construction. Their expansion has burst the stone apart. The worst stone decay is, unsurprisingly, on the south side, which receives the worst of Yorkshire's weather.  

Skillful persistence in action..

The dome and lantern will now be carefully taken down, stone by stone, course by course.  Each sound stone will be numbered so it can be put back in its original position. The structure will then be rebuilt using as much of the original sound material as we can, but incorporating new stainless steel fixings to replace the problematic iron cramps. Areas of blown and severely decayed stone will be replaced with new stone that has been selected to provide the best possible match to the original material.

The replacement stone will take a month or so to arrive from the quarry. An initial order has therefore already been placed based on the team’s assessment from the scaffold. 

In this video, our architect Kynan Simmons of simmonsherriff LLP shows the condition of the dome stonework, while our contractor Gary Payne of GPM (Ripon) Ltd, explains the difficulties he encountered in taking down the heavy stone ball finial and its cast iron pedestal. Skilful persistence won out in the end!  The pedestal – also fondly referred to as ‘the eggcup’ – will undergo repair by a specialist metal fabricator.

This work would never happen without the continued support of our members, donors, and supporters. Thank you so much for all of your help! And if anyone would like to help us continue caring for sites like Old St Matthew's Tower, we would love if you would consider donating or becoming a Friend to our Friendless Churches. We look forward to sharing with you further updates as this project progresses.