Fishlake St. Cuthbert is a historic Grade 1 listed Major Parish Church dating from around 1175. When in October 2018 the South Aisle Roof was stripped of lead by thieves, the Fishlake PCC decided to explore alternatives for replacement that would prove less attractive to opportunist theft. As the Church had already eight years earlier proceeded to re-cover the chancel roof with stainless steel, it was possible to make a close comparison between the relative performances of lead verses stainless steel. Observing the challenges emerging over time from the use of stainless steel, and the current reported issues with quality, following a suggestion by Architects Purcell and after a great deal of research, the Fishlake PCC took the innovative decision to seek permission to replace the lead with a less valuable but extremely durable flexible material - namely zinc.
Zinc has been used for roofing in the UK since 1850 and, to give an example of its wider use, circa 70% of the roofing material used in the wider EU is zinc. Working with Architects Purcell, a design was prepared and approval sought from the Sheffield DAC, Historic England, the CBC (Church Building Council), ChurchCare, insurance Brokers Trinitas and insurers Aviva, the local Council and other advisory bodies and finally granted in the Autumn of 2019. As it is essential that zinc is laid on a dry substrate, a plan was prepared to proceed in the Spring of 2020.
As many will recall, Fishlake village was disastrously flooded in November 2019, the wider impact of which delayed the commencement of the project. The Covid19 Pandemic lead to further delays and the PCC is delighted to be able to report that works started on June 22nd, and is expect to last for up to eight weeks.
The material being used is VMZincPlus Quartz, a variant of the comprehensive range offered by VM Building Solutions Ltd. VMZincPlus Quartz has a factory applied protective covering on the underside enhancing the prospective life of a new roof covering. Our research uncovered examples of zinc covered roofs that have been in situ for over 200 years, so a conservative life estimate of 100 years is a reasonable assessment.
Zinc being a highly malleable material facilitates installation and simplifies site-work. In the Fishlake installation, rather than the standing seam often used with stainless steel, the joints between sheets will be batten cap rolls, mirroring the existing lead work on the nave and north aisle roof coverings.
VM Building Solutions Ltd offer a 30 year warranty on work carried out by contractors certified to install VMZinc products. For the Fishlake contract, the VM Building Solutions' certified contractors CEL Roofing of Whittlesey, Peterborough, prior to installation on site, will be preparing sections in their factory minimising on-site activity around this historic building.
The Fishlake St. Cuthbert Churchwardens will be very pleased to assist any other church considering replacing lead roof coverings with zinc.