Work in the church, which started immediately after Easter, is proceeding well.

Firstly the benches were removed and taken away for refurbishment.

Our application for a lottery fund grant for restoration of the organ was successful, so the next thing to do was to have the organ dismantled and removed for restoration.

Work on the church floor could then start in earnest.

It was always known that we might encounter a few surprises when piling and excavation work started. Working ‘below ground’ is always a step into the dark, however thorough the pre-contract exploration. Well, we did have a few surprises.

The contractor set about installing 30 piles to support the new floor slab. Construction of most of the piles went smoothly but problems were encountered in front of the altar. The structural engineer revised his design and replaced 5 piles in this area with a deep ground beam.

Having completed the piling work, the next task was to break up and remove the old floor slab and to excavate the service trenches. Whilst doing this, the contractor encountered some very loose, unstable ground that fell away and undermined the foundations to the organ loft columns. The organ loft was supported with temporary supports so that new, deeper foundations could be constructed.

And excavation in the north west corner of the church, near the baptistery, exposed a large cast iron unit that must have been part of the original heating system. The base of this has been left in place but the top had to be chopped off (with some difficulty) since it interfered with the new slab construction.

The structural engineer and the contractor are to be applauded for the efficient way in which they dealt with these various glitches, so that there has been no significant disruption to the contract programme.

Upon completion of excavation work, a thin layer of ‘blinding’ concrete was laid, to provide a clean and level working surface and the slab reinforcing bars were then fixed.

Monday 5th July was then the day of the ‘big pour’. The whole of the floor slab was concreted in one operation. The concrete arrived in Readymix wagons that parked at the church gates and the concrete was pumped from there into the church.

All the dirty work has now been completed and, since we are now ‘above ground’, we do not anticipate any more surprises.

When the concrete has set, polystyrene insulation will then be laid on the slab, followed by a screed with under-floor heating pipes laid in it. This under-floor heating will ensure that the main floor area is clean and unobstructed but there will also be radiators around the outside walls as before to maintain reasonable comfort even in the coldest winter weather.

When the screed is thoroughly dry, a new wood-block floor will be laid to complete the work. After a good clean, the church will then be ready to be re-occupied.

Unfortunately you’re not free to wander into the church to have a look at how your money is being spent: health and safety requirements don’t allow that. But there are some photographs on a board at the back of the upper hall (our temporary church) and some much better photographs on the parish website, for those of you who are computer users.