Binsted work progressing well (just waiting for the swallows to leave!)

In April, the 12th-century church of St Mary in the West Sussex village of Binsted received a £24,000 grant from the Sussex Historic Churches Trust – the largest single award the Trust has ever made.

Four months on and the church’s ambitious programme of repairs is well under way with restoration work to the buttresses and west window now completed. During this process, the contractors Tilley Stonemasons also managed to clean and replace the polycarbonate that’s protecting the stained glass window and have gently cleaned the windows themselves. Also involved in the restoration work is specialist glazier Cliff Durant.

Waiting for the swallows ...

Next on the agenda are repairs to the church’s 19th-century porch which over the years has suffered both severe weather damage and vandalism. As a first step, the carpenter has already worked on a sample section of the decorative oak work to show Simon Dyson, our consulting Architect. However, the project can’t fully get going until some very special church residents take flight in the Autumn.

A new brood of swallows is currently nesting in the porch roof, so St Mary’s has been liaising closely with the RSPB and is currently waiting until the fledglings are finally ready to embark on their epic migration south - likely to be around mid-September.

Church secretary Judith Walker said: “The nesting of the swallows has definitely slowed progress with the porch but we’re in regular communication with the contractors, and everyone understands the essential delay this presents.”

Meanwhile, internal works will take place in two stages: first, the plaster repair with lime mortar and then, once that’s dried out, internal decoration using several coats of lime wash.

Judith added: “Julian Tilley and his team will ensure no damage occurs while they undertake the internal works so their first job will be to protect both the mediaeval wall painting – which dates back almost 900 years – along with the Italianate floor which was installed in the 19th-century.

“Work on the metal grilles will also begin once an exact specification is agreed which will ensure there is no damage to any stonework.”