The Church of St Mark TEN MILE BANK. Hilgay. Statement of Significance

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1 The Church of St Mark TEN MILE BANK Hilgay Statement of Significance Prepared on behalf of the Parochial Church Council of St Mark, Ten Mile Bank by Stephen Heywood FSA, Heritage and Landscape Section Norfolk County Council December 2006

2 The Church of St Mark, Ten Mile Bank Introduction This report is a statement of significance for the church of St Mark as required by English Heritage as part of the investigation contract prior to and informing the main repair contract. English Heritage require particular reference to materials and the design of the roof structure and windows. Also there is a necessity to find evidence of missing elements in need of restoration such as the bellcote and the two blocked windows in the west elevation. The church of St Mark was built in and consecrated in The architect is unknown. The materials are gault brick with limestone dressings and a slate roof. The chapel is an unspoilt example and the simplest expression of the fervour which emerged from the Oxford Movement in the middle years of the 19 th century. The undifferentiated nave and chancel with identical doors for priest and people on the south side and the choice of the Early English style ( Early Pointed as it was known) are unusual points about the building. The choice of lancets rather than windows with tracery of the more usual and approved Middle-Pointed style may have been chosen for cheapness but the result is very much more satisfactory and elegant than the many Victorian traceried windows which are too often of heavy proportions and poor materials. A further special aspect of the building is the use of a suspended floor with rose-shaped cast iron vents. This type of floor was probably chosen on account of the water-logged condition of the land in this low-lying fen. Another feature of considerable sophistication is the roof structure with its quasi independent twocentred arches supported on corbels attached to hidden wall posts. Owing to the instability of the foundations the building has undergone several repairs which have attempted to hold the building together. Most importantly to the appearance of the building these repairs involved the dismantlement of the bellcote, the blocking of two of the three west windows, the repositioning of the south west doorway, the erection of reinforced concrete pilasters at each corner attached to tie bars and additional timber tie beams and steel bars to the roof structure. In addition to these visible repairs investigation has revealed that the entire building has been underpinned with brick work. Figure 1: West elevation showing blocked windows and concrete pilasters 2

3 Figure 2 Truncated bellcote Figure 3 Reinforced roof structure Figure 4 Underpinning and tie bar exposed 3

4 The Norfolk Record Office does not have any material relating to the many repairs that have taken place. These may be part of the Ely diocesan records and have not been available for this report. However, an early photograph has been found with a fair representation of the bellcote and the west elevation before it was remodelled. Figure 5 Postcard of church before undertaking radical repairs The bellcote The bellcote was a very fine composition consisting of stone arched corbel tables flanking a central blind arch to the west reducing slightly to the sides with stone sloping offsets. This supported a stone pitched coping from which emerged the jambs of the pointed arch which housed the bell. The structure was reduced slightly to the sides into narrow pilasters with stone coping and the composition was crowned with a gable protected with a stone coping and supporting a bold central cross above. The structure survives up to just below the pitched coping. One further course of bricks was removed when the bell cote was dismantled and a Figures 6 4

5 simple coping of triangular section was constructed. This work incorporates slabs of stone acting as a base to the capping. These were, without doubt, parts of the bell cote and their large sizes indicate that they formed the pitched coping. It is possible that they could be reused in their original positions. Directly above the base course there are further pieces of Figure 7. details of incorporated stones in the capping of former bell cote from south east freestone of triangular section which could have been parts of the other stone copings. The proposed reconstruction is afforded by the surviving photograph (Figs 5 & 6) and the existing base of the bell cote. The only area of uncertainty is the top gable above the bell which the early photograph suggests is slightly more steeply pitched and that the main fabric was of brick with the stone copings having tumbling pieces. These are very minor adjustments and there is adequate information for an accurate reinstatement including the bell and its headstock which are housed beneath a hood on the north side of the chapel. Figure 8: Proposed reconstruction of bell cote by Ruth Blackman 5

6 The roof structure Figure 9 roof structure looking west The roof is divided into seven bays by six softwood trusses linked by two series of side purlins and a ridge purlin. From the principal trusses are suspended arched braces carried on wall posts, in turn supported on prominent stone corbels. The braces form two-centred arches which are only connected to the rafters at mid level leaving the point of the arch completely free except for a steel rod which appears to pierce the top of the arch and is fixed at either end through the principal rafters. Figure 10 upper section of roof truss At the feet of the braces the wall post is sunk into the masonry and is flush with the surface of the wall. A roughly shaped wrought iron rod crosses the spandrel and is fixed through the rafter at one end, through the wall post and through the wall plate where it is held with a nut and washer. 6

7 Figures 9, 10 and 11. Arched brace and wall plate with spandrel rod nut. Drawing by Ruth Blackman Apart from the wrought iron rods just mentioned the original roof structure was reinforced by two longitudinal rods jointed through circular plates onto the gable ends. The rods are jointed at mid length with interlocking loops. Some vertical rods with hooked ends are fixed to the rafters and act as guides for the rods. Further original metal work was uncovered during the investigative works at the gable ends where rods built into the thickness of the walls link the wall plates and are held in position by staples. These rods are exposed where they cross the windows, 7

8 distinguishable from the saddle bars by their size. Finally the four purlins at each end are fixed through the gables by metal ties with circular plates. The principal timbers are simply moulded with shallow chamfers and a central roll which close inspection reveals to be nailed dowelling. The spaces between the trusses and purlins are filled with boarding jointed together with loose tongues. In its original state the roof structure was of singular interest in its use of wrought iron or steel in order to achieve a light weight construction. The almost free twocentred inner truss is exceptional in its economy and grace accentuated by the hidden wall posts. Despite the quality of the construction which took into account, as much as possible, the inevitable weakness of the foundations on marshy ground, the stability of the building began to fail. Drastic measures were taken to try and hold the building together. As well as the complete underpinning, this involved the insertion of steel rods across the building and the length of it above and below ground. The roof structure was most affected by the insertion of broad timber tie beams at each principal truss. All of these measures necessarily greatly increased the weight of the building and its deliberately shallow foundations were, it appears, intended to allow the structure to float rather than fracture. (On this point of buildings in the fens: it is quite common to see houses tilting but not necessarily cracking.) Therefore, gradually as interventions to save the building increased, the problem became worse. The building is now on the verge of finding a permanent cure enabling the reinstatement of its initial appearance and the building would profit greatly from the retrieval of the remarkable arched trusses. The West Windows As part of the works of stabilisation two of the west windows were blocked. However, the exterior dressings in stone were left in situ with the blocking recessed to the plane of the former glazing. On the interior the blocking does not reveal any of the dressings Figure 12: West gable-end 8

9 but its accurate reinstatement should not cause any difficulty especially since the exact same arrangement of three lancets survives unaltered at the east end. Part of the stabilisation included the repositioning of the south west doorway. This was skilfully carried out inserting the doorway with its original door and dressings into the position of the south west window. The photograph below, on display in the church, shows the original arrangement. Although there is no difficulty in identifying what was the initial design there would be a very small advantage in reinstating it, quite out of proportion with the extensive works which would be entailed. The blocking brick work is only in slight contrast with the original yet shows clearly the works that were carried out. Figure 13: early photograph Furnishings All the furniture and fittings have been removed for repair and recorded in advance. These will be re-installed as before following their repair with some minor changes of no significance as regards the special interest of the building. The font which was installed in 1852 was originally situated in the centre at the west end and its position is still indicated by the infilling floorboards. It was moved to the south later and it is desirable that it is repositioned as originally when it is returned from store unless practical considerations prevent it. It emerged that the communion rails of bold, turned balusters are certainly re-used or re-arranged as shown by the positions of the joints. They resemble 17 th -century balusters and it remains a possibility that they have been recovered from another church. It is unlikely that they were domestic because none of the balusters have slanting joints consistent with having been staircase balusters. On removing the altar platform it was found that marks on the floor indicated that the altar was not raised on a platform originally. 9

10 Figure 14: Communion rails Figure 15: Font Figure 16: Former position of font Conclusion This report addresses the issues of reinstatement along with the repair of St Mark s. The inspection of the foundations and the description of the roof structure has led to an understanding of the original structural brief which was, in effect to have a floating foundation for a lightweight building held firmly together with the help of metal. This was devised to cope with the extreme difficulty, or practical impossibility for the period, of finding firm enough footing for foundations. The use of modern piling will enable this to be overcome and to undertake the rehabilitation of the church and the reinstatement of important lost features such as the bellcote. Stephen Heywood. January

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