Round up of repairs at St Michael’s, Castlemartin

As with building conservation, much of our time is taken up carrying out the day-to-day jobs, the less glamorous tasks that ensure the survival of the buildings we work at; whether it’s cleaning out gutters, replacing broken slates, or keeping the ivy in check. Our current phase of work at St Michaels sees us doing just this.

With the help of the volunteers at our working party we have cleared away swathes of encroaching vegetation from around the building and ensured safe access for future maintenance. We are removing localised areas of inappropriate cement render, including some unsightly and damaging ribbon pointing, from the west gables and the porch in readiness for repointing in lime - which must be done in a manner sympathetic to the fantastic remaining historic lime render that covers much of the building.

Moving indoors, we also have a significant work ahead of us, making good the skeilings, which have suffered from past water ingress, patchy repairs and what looks to be poor workmanship. For a while now, small areas of plaster have been detaching from their lath backing and falling to the aisle floor. Our investigation suggests this may be caused by a lack of hair in the lime plaster mix, which causes the ‘nibs’ (lime mortar that wraps itself around the lath) to break off.

The work to the skeilings will also need to be carried out under the supervision of the ecologist Sian Williams (Kite Ecology) to ensure we don’t disturb the important colonies of bats we have inhabiting the church – at the last count, there have been almost 300 bats observed across three species: Pipistrelles, Natters, and Greater Horseshoe.

However, as well as the day-to-day repairs, this project will deliver two very exciting changes to the St Michael's site. Firstly, the beautifully crafted cast iron gates, made by local blacksmiths F&A Stephens, that sit in the lychgate (dated to 1890), are to be lovingly repaired by local metalwork conservator Jo Adkins.

She will reinstate the missing fleur-de-lis finial, remove corroded sections and build up new repairs, install new stainless steel hinge plates, and address corrosion around the lock box, with its beautiful ‘welcoming hands’ of cast bronze. The gates will then be redecorated and reinstated. The lychgate will also benefit from some minor repairs to the timber-frame structure.

The second exciting change comes as we are having a new stained-glass window installed in the west window of the north aisle – replacing the existing one made of unsightly sheet glass. The new window will use handblown cylinder glass in shades of blue and have an elegant simplicity that complements other existing lancet windows. Two hand-painted inscription panels at the base of the lancets will read ‘My peace I leave with you’. It is being expertly made by West Wales glazier Simon Howard - the design being collaborative between him and the project architect Andrew Faulkner, and was made possible due to the funding kindly received from the Cottam Will Trust.

The repairs will continue until sometime in January 2026, and I am pleased to know that, as well as leaving the fabric in a better condition with repairs to walls and roofs and ceilings, we will be leaving the church enhanced as a place of contemplation and of meaning in the community. The gates welcome the many visitors, local and further afield, who make the journey to this tranquil spot. And the new window will not only demonstrate the best of contemporary craft but also afford us time to sit and reflect upon its message.   

Read more about St Michael's church and its rich history. Please note that the church will reopen to all visitors sometime in February 2026.