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22 October 2001
Roofing Firm Land Prestigious Contract |
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The nave roof and spire of Salisbury Cathedral
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176 year old roofing specialists, Norman & Underwood are in the process of completing a recently acquired contract for work on Salisbury Cathedral, which is one of the finest medieval cathedrals in England and home of the tallest spire in the country
Working alongside architect, Michael Drury of Salisbury, Norman & Underwood are replacing lead, on the nave roof, which has failed due to the breakdown of the existing fixings.
The contract also involved transporting approximately 80 tonnes of the original lead back to the company’s Leicester headquarters, to be melted down and re-cast into new lead sheet.
As part of the restoration of the famous roof, the company had to ensure that the roof’s timberwork was structurally sound and this was achieved by the use of computer driven micro-boring equipment.
This evaluation required the boring of around 4,000 individual holes into the roof structure and using the latest computer technology it was possible to determine the strength and likely lifespan of the tie-beams, struts, rafters and purlings, which support the lead covered roof.
In the past, timbers had been thrown away because it had not been possible to ascertain the remaining useful life. With modern technology the company was not only able to fully determine the strength of the timber, but was also able to provide details of the timber’s age and origins.
Throughout the project, the roofing specialists worked closely with the cathedral’s consultant archaeologist and structural engineers, ensuring that the work did nothing to change the original features of the cathedral.
This is not the first time that the company’s craftsmen had been asked to work on Salisbury Cathedral, with the company previously re-casting and re-laying the lead to the North Porch and North Aisle roofs of the cathedral.
Roofing Division director, Mr. Jonathan Castleman, who has supervised repair work to the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, British Embassies in both Moscow and Korea and some of the UK’s most historic buildings, says of the project:
“Having already successfully completed major contracts at the cathedral, it was an honour for the company, and its in-house trained craftsmen, to be recalled for further work, especially on the cathedral’s prestigious nave roof.”
Norman & Underwood’s Roofing Division is also currently working on Chatsworth House and have just been awarded the Copper Development Association’s ‘Highly Commended for Craftsmanship’ certificate for the second time.
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