Further Update on Repairs to East Window 7th December 2023 Further to my last update last weekend the grant works at St Anne’s have taken a slight backward step in that everything seemed to be going to plan with the aim to remove scaffold internally on Thursday (Dec 7th). However we have become aware of SEVEN small pieces of stained glass that have been damaged/broken by the stone company. We immediately asked our stained glass expert to attend who says he can only do a temporary repair at present (apparently each piece is made up of several colours which means about 5 different firings for each piece). Therefore I have decided that we have no alternative but to keep the internal scaffold up till Monday/Tuesday next week to allow the glass man to do his temporary repairs. The scaffold can then come down and we will have to get him back to fit the proper glass in the New Year and he will do this from a tower access platform. All this will be recharged to the stone company. All other work i.e. re-plastering the east wall with lime plaster, roof repairs and decorations are complete. This will mean that this Sunday service will again have the scaffold in place but all seemed to go well last week with the funeral of John Daulman and the Advent Sunday service without any issues. Everything will be clear for the School Carol Service and the concert for Friends of Turton Tower. I have suggested that the next Wednesday’s service (13th) should be held at St James again to give the scaffolders clear access and allow proper cleaning. Stephen Hobson BSc FRICS 7th December 2023 If you wish to donate towards the upkeep of the church, please click the Donate button in the menu for a safe and secure way to donate online via Give a Little.
Works to East Wall and Window The grant works continue and as a result of major scaffolding and protection works we have had to close St Anne’s for the past three weeks. These works are well advanced and we did intend to reopen with a fully cleared church for Advent Sunday - December 3rd. However, we have had some setbacks in that the lime plaster is taking longer to set on the east wall due to freezing temperatures. This prevents the skim coat from being applied until it is fully set and obviously decorations cannot be applied until it’s all fully dried out. Furthermore, we have found some serious roof leaks that we weren’t aware of and we have had to deal with these whilst the scaffold is in place. Therefore everything has had to be put back a couple of days. We still intend to reopen the church for this Sunday December 3rd but unfortunately there will be scaffold up at the far end until works are complete. The funeral of John Daulman will also take place the day after on Dec 4th. The rest of the church will be fully cleared and cleaned in order to allow the two services to take place. Any help to clear the church on Saturday morning December 2nd would be very welcome. On Wednesday December 6th the internal scaffold will be taken down so we have agreed to hold the service at St James’ again to allow scaffolders free access. The external scaffold will be removed at the end of next week. Stephen HobsonIf you wish to donate towards the upkeep of the church, please click the Donate button in the menu for a safe and secure way to Give a Little.
The stories of the men who died in World War 1 have been researched and are available to download and read online. For more details, download "Remembering WW1".
