St John’s Rowlands Castle – Roof Restoration

In order to preserve the fabric of the church and to end the leaking of rainwater into the church, it is necessary to restore and refurbish the roof which, after nearly 170 years, has come to the end of its useful life and is ‘nail-sick’. This will involve stripping the slates, removing the wooden battens to which they are attached, and stripping the lead roof valleys. The battens and roof valleys will be renewed, and a new membrane will be installed. As many as possible of the existing slates will be salvaged and re-used, and new Welsh slates will be added as required. Repairs to the underlying lath and plaster ceiling which has been damaged by the ingress of rain water, will also be undertaken. The cast iron gutters and downspouts which, because of their age and wear and tear, also contribute towards the penetration of the Church by rain, will be dismantled, sand-blasted, re-caulked, reassembled and re-instated.