The Lady Chapel
St Bartholomew-the-Great’s Lady Chapel roof parapet gutters needed replacement to prevent continuing rainwater leaks leading to more serious problems. To repair the damage found after the opening up works were carried out, the Lady Chapel roofs needed re-leading and the wooden truss beams required repairs below.
The Lady Chapel roof is lead laid upon a low double-pitched roof, presumably a post-war replacement of Aston Webb’s re-leading in 1895. The roof structure below is stained timber boarding on moulded principal rafters and purlin coffers. The four traceried crenelated trusses display a history of water penetration from the lead gutters above and required structural repairs. The stonework walls inside the chapel to the north and south also demonstrate a history of water staining from the actively leaking parapet gutters and needed cleaning.
The repair work was carried out in the latter half of 2022. The leadwork on the roof was replaced, repairs were made to the stonework and the water damaged areas of truss were carefully cut away and renewed with bespoke replacement sections of wood, stained to match the existing.