I wonder if it’s usual
that as a blogger, one sometimes experiences the equivalent to writer's block?
In the last few days I’ve had something resembling it! I put this down to that
of late I haven’t been able to complete as many surveys as I would have liked.
The surveys often provide the "raw material" on which I base my
monthly blog, as regular readers will have noticed. Looking to the media for
some inspiration, thank goodness, it didn’t take long for a heritage-linked
topic to emerge!
No one can have missed
the recent reporting of the theft of copper and other valuable metals in the
newspapers and on TV. This week, the local BBC news featured a story in Lincolnshire
Arriving at the last of
these churches, I followed my now established routine of walking 360° around
the building. I have found that by doing this, the more obvious structural
problems are revealed at a glance. I then go around once more, looking more
closely before going if possible, to take a look at the church’s interior. I
have found that good first impressions of a site are often an accurate
indication of how well a property is managed and maintained and this particular
church showed several of those signs (for example, the churchyard was neatly
kept, the churchyard gate and fencing had recently been given a coat of
preservative, and a welcoming message was pinned to the notice-board in the
porch!) A separate message invited visitors who wished to view the church’s
interior to call at an address in the village to collect a key. This I did and
had the pleasure of meeting the church warden who was very informative about
the church’s history and was interested to hear about the LHAR project. During
our stroll back to the church, the warden asked, quite unexpectedly, "Of
course, you’ll have seen the damage to the roof?" Incidentally, to those
of you reading this who are Volunteer Heritage Stewards, have you ever
seriously doubted your own credibility to properly survey a building? I have to
confess, I did on that day! How could I have missed something so obvious as
missing lead-work on a roof? Reassuringly, when the damage was pointed out to
me I realised that the oversight was an easy one to have made as the stone work
and parapets etc largely concealed the damage when viewed from ground level.
Apparently the thefts
had taken place over a period of several months, a small section at a time.
Firstly, the whole of the lead roofing and guttering from the south porch had
been taken. On a second visit, the thieves had shown more effrontery by
stripping a large section of the north aisle roof which is less than 10 feet
from a well used village road. Not content with two raids, the thieves returned
once more to take the lead from the south aisle roof.
Several issues presented
themselves when I considered this lamentable situation. The small group of
people who obviously take a pride in their village church are now faced with
much unnecessary work and expense in repairing the damage done, together with
the uncertainty of repeated thefts once the repairs are completed. Short of
stationing individuals on a night-watch, with the real risk to personal safety
that would pose, the church remains vulnerable to further damage and loss. It
is disheartening to say the least to consider the craftsmanship in the
lead-work having lain undisturbed for hundreds of years only to be ransacked in
just 3 nights. To ensure that the building remains watertight, this particular
church committee acted quickly by having emergency repairs done. This included
the erection inside, of a temporary plastic “roof” covering the magnificent
church organ – a precautionary step for the expected further removal of lead
from the roof above (which at the time of my visit, still remained.) The cost of
these temporary repairs must have amounted already to several hundred pounds.
To someone with an interest in the preservation of our county’s heritage it is
both irritating and upsetting to witness such wanton damage, and all for such
short-term (if lucrative) gain. Where the thieves are taking their lead is an
obvious question as it is clear that someone is buying it from them.
In Lincolnshire Lincolnshire
One cannot help feeling
powerless in preventing such problems. We rely heavily of course, upon the
police to deal with the incidents in the usual manner and are advised to report
suspicious activity promptly. Perhaps as Volunteer Heritage Stewards we are in
the advantageous position of being able to report any damage or irregular
behaviour we see whilst out surveying? Ultimately if we are concerned in
preserving our county’s heritage, we all have a duty to remain mindful of such
crimes and to prevent further problems where we can.
Colin, Heritage Steward
