The St James the Great, Haydock church was consecrated in 1866. It was extended in the 1880s due to the church being too small to accommodate the growing population of Haydock. The church was then formally re-opened in 1891 and consecrated in 1892. More recent alterations have included the provision of a new chapel.
In 2017 we were contracted to complete timber repairs and associated works at St James the Great Church in Haydock. The timber framed wall on the south aisle of the church needed to be repaired as the sill beam and several of the bases of the posts were decayed. If left untreated water ingress internally would occur and the structural integrity of the wall would be affected.
The rainwater goods had recently been replaced and upon inspection the timber was dry.
One of our experienced joiners carefully removed some of the pews to allow for access to the timber framed wall, and these were set aside. A qualified plumber removed the radiators from the affected area, isolated the pipe and drained the system ensuring no water damage was caused.
A secure and dust-proof compound area within the church was prepared and the carpets were protected. The guttering and down pipes were protected during the works.
The protective cover of the sill beam was carefully removed. The brick infill panels affected by the timber repairs were sensitively dismantled using hand tools. Each brick was carefully cleaned to remove the mortar. The bricks were stacked and labelled according to their panel number and safely stored for re-use. Props were used to support the timber beam above the brick infills.
The external Accrington pressed bricks were in a good condition. Only a few needed to be replaced with matching bricks. The internal bricks were in a worse condition so more internal bricks needed to be replaced.
A section of the sole plate needed to be replaced to full depth. Our team carefully cut the section out and ensured the structure was fully supported. During the works our team discovered that an additional smaller section also needed to be replaced. This section of the sole plate was also removed. Matching oak was sourced and spliced in using a half lap joint. Small indent repairs were carried out for some of the post bases.
Timber frame repairs were carried out around the main entrance door. Three oak posts were renewed.
Replacement facing panels were fitted to the sole plate using countersunk and pelleted stainless-steel screws. The joint between the timber and the stone was re-pointed. Areas of the stone wall were patch pointed.
The infill panels were reinstated and repointed with a lime mortar. Brickwork was rebuilt to the original coursing pattern and mortar joint sizes were replicated.
For the church interior, panels were re-plastered using Fat Lime Internal Plaster. The plaster work and timbers were redecorated using agreed colours.
External decoration was completed to the window frames and timbers of the south elevation. The thick gloss paint was removed where possible from the black timbers and they were coated with Sikkens Cetol BL Opaque (in black colour) and primer. The replaced timbers were painted to match the existing timber frame.
A qualified plumber reinstated the radiators once the works had been completed. Our joiner then re-installed the pews, and these were fixed into position.
Our operatives ensured the site was thoroughly cleaned upon completion of the works. All debris was removed. The grass was raked over and reseeded.
