Salisbury Cathedral High East Gable

While awards are not usually given to phases of work on a building, Salisbury Cathedral is, unsurprisingly, an exception to this, with various awards having been given to it since 1996, early in the award scheme’s life. Using submitted evidence, and a visit for a look from ground level, the judges decided that the repairs to the Chancel high east gable fully reached the standards which had led to the earlier awards. The area in question, above the Trinity Chapel roofs, included large amounts of 800 year old stonework, some of it in very poor condition, with over 400 stones needing replacement. Extensive stone cleaning had been carried out, both to improve the appearance and to reduce the risk of future decay, with the most obvious result being the removal of extensive rust staining from iron window bars. The remarkable Moses window of 1781, very prominent internally in views eastwards down the Cathedral, had been fitted with iroko frames on the outside to take protective secondary glazing, and the long-term condition of the five lancet windows above it had been ensured. The southern pinnacle had been taken down completely and rebuilt, with new stones where necessary, and mortar repairs had been used across the elevation, to remedy defective stones whose condition was not bad enough to justify replacement. The judges were able to establish that all the work had been executed to very high standards, by the Cathedral’s own Works Department, and that another award was fully justified.

Architects: Dittrich Hudson Vasetti Architects, Bristol

Photo: Gary Price