Published: 15/09/2025
Updated: 16/09/2025
Rob Sandford and his team from Greystone & Mason have continued to repair St Andrew, South Runcton, Norfolk this year, despite sudden thundery downpours and days of hot sun, neither of which are very helpful for roof work or high-level mortar repairs!
The apsidal chancel roof has now been re-slated and awaits the removal of the scaffold to complete fixing the new rainwater goods. These have been manufactured for us locally in stainless steel and painted dark green, a colour with less visual impact than the customary black, and a distinct improvement on the pink gutters we inherited (perhaps they were originally dark red?)
The apsidal north vestry was added in 1856, and now its roof covering is off, it can be seen that it blocked a window whose external arch and cushion capital are visible.
Nothing can be seen of this internally, as a marble monument recording the 1737-1801 burials of five members of the Bell family of Wallington Hall is where the window should be. The monument was possibly displaced from an original position further east when the vestry door was punched through. A small rural church of 1838 did not need a separate vestry as the priest would not have worn more than a surplice and hood for services (if that) and the altar table would only be dressed with a ‘fair linen cloth’.
The gutters rest on stone slabs supported by corbels, but around the apse these turned out to be made of rendered bricks. Some had disintegrated and our conservators, Theo and Emma of the Skillington Workshop, had to remake them. Their skills in repairing the external render here and along the nave are very impressive – it is already difficult to distinguish their work from the original material.
The condition of the feet of the of the vestry roof timbers amply shows what happens when gutters are not cleaned out regularly, allowing water to seep across the wall plate. We will be adding new ends to retain as much of the original woodwork as possible.
The interior is being re-decorated with a soft distemper, repeating the colour scheme we found. The lath and plaster nave ceiling has been repaired, especially at the east end and a new inspection hatch has been made at the west end. The removal of two unknown - but vast - piles of twigs collected by jackdaws, hidden at either end of the nave roof space was an unwelcome expensive extra.
Cleaning down the internal apse columns has revealed the clear shadows of an ivy or vine trail framing the lino Decalogue and Creed panels (awaiting conservation). One uncovered leaf is blue, so a continuation of the painted foliage at the head of the arches and on the lino. This scheme probably belongs to the 1868 refurnishing, and we await the advice of our wall paintings conservator on what we can do.
The project is on course to be completed by the end of autumn 2025. We look forward to sharing with you more details about the reopening of St Andrew’s.
Our thanks go to all of our supporters, including the Friends of Friendless Churches’ members, whose generosity made all repairs at South Runcton possible.
Recently uncovered ivy or vine trail
