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Clerkenwell Priory Clerkenwell Priory Copper Detail   A famous London landmark has got a new look thanks to our roofing restoration specialists. The Order of St. John is an order of the British crown. Reaffirmed in Britain in the mid-19th century, the Order traces its origins back 900 years to the Knights Hospitaller. Today, the Order of St. John is an international body with some 30,000 members worldwide. St. John Ambulance, the leading first aid, transport and care charity, is a foundation of the Order of St. John. It has a global membership of nearly 300,000 in 42 countries and has diversified to meet local community needs around the world. In addition to first aid activities, it has developed ophthalmic and dental care, primary health care, youth programmes, relief work and disaster planning. St. John Ambulance also provides the statutory ambulance service in some of its territories. The church houses a large, ancient crypt, which is one of London's few remaining Norman buildings. The crypt is the only visible part of the original Priory buildings, dating from 1140. The Priory of England and the Islands, part of the Order of St John, owns the building and uses it for services and investitures. Parts of the church date back to the twelfth century, although much of the building was re-constructed after severe damage in World War II. Our craftsmen have just completed this 15-week project at The Grand Priory Church of St John of Jerusalem in Clerkenwell to restore the historic building’s copper roof. We beat competition from a number of London rivals to secure the six-figure project. Darrell Warren, Contract Manager of the Roofing and Stained Glass Division, said: “Restoration contracts in London are notoriously hard to win, due to the intense competition from firms in the capital. Simply winning this prestigious contract was a real achievement." "The hard work continued on site. The original roof had failed and needed to be completely stripped from the structure before the new copper roof could be lifted into place by crane." "We also needed to construct a temporary roof over the whole building to prevent the weather getting in. Only then could we begin to carefully position the long, but wafer thin sheets of copper onto the roof." Completing the mammoth task in just 15 weeks is testimony to the quality of craftsmanship and the dedication of the team of ‘roofing plumbers’. The project saw craftsmen lay 400 square metres of copper sheeting – about the same area as a full-size tennis court. The delicate process involved placing four and a half tonnes of wafer thin copper sheeting, less than a millimetre thick, onto the church roof. The restoration work consisted of the removal and replacement of all copper roof coverings and structural repairs to internal roof timbers. The work included the removal and replacement of all asphalt roof coverings to the guard house and stair hall. New galvanised steel rails were erected on the south and west parapet walls, including an access ladder and rails to the guard house. Other specialist work carried out by our craftsmen included re-pointing exposed brickwork on the church’s North side. Craftsmen prepared a lime mortar putty and pointed-up traditionally with a trowel to achieve an authentic look. A team of four were used on the restoration project, two roofing ‘plumbers’ and two apprentices. The new bright brown roof will slowly go green over the next 15 years as the capital’s weather conditions naturally oxidise the material. The copper roof is expected to last between 80 and 100 years.   back to top back to major contracts   11-27 Freeschool Lane, Leicester LE1 4FX, England tel: 0116 251 5000 fax: 0116 253 2669 e-mail: [email protected]