Raising the roof

After much form filling, site visits, quotations, phone calls, endless paperwork and a few sleepless nights work will eventually start on the replacement of the church roof next month with scaffolding being erected from March 15th and  building work commencing on April 4th.  A small cabin will be placed in the car park for the duration of the works by kind permission of the owners (Friends of St John’s) and Teignbridge council and work is expected to last 10 weeks.  This huge undertaking of replacing  the roof will enable this iconic North Bovey landmark to weather the storms Dartmoor throws at it for many more  years to come, helping to ensure that this ancient building stands for future generations to enjoy it’s history and presence. During the work the church is expected to remain open although access to some areas may be restricted from time to time.  Some minor inconvenience to traffic during loading and unloading of materials will be unavoidable but please be assured that the contractors have assured us that this will be kept to a minimum.

To celebrate the start of the work on the 4th April  Alex Austin, the Parish Council Chairman, has agreed to remove the first slate during  a small commemorative ceremony at 4pm at the church followed by tea (and cake!) to which all are invited. There will be further celebrations on completion and it is hoped to place a small time capsule in the roof for the next roof repairers to marvel at.

Any queries may be addressed to the Churchwardens David Hubble  01647 440078 or Sarah Shorthouse – 01647 441224 or the Project Co-ordinator Peter Keesom 01647 221624

Facts and figures

The total project cost is £126,700

Grant received for Listed Places of Worship – £94,600

Contribution from Friends of St John’s – £10,200

VAT refund – £21,900

Scaffolding: Tower Scaffolding, Heathfield

Contractor: Exeter Roofing Ltd, Dunsford

Architect: David Hayes, Chagford

Project Co-ordinator: Peter Keesom 01647 221624  whpeterkeesom@gmail.com