St James Priory is one of the oldest buildings in Bristol and work to restore the buildings fabric is underway. Carpenter Oak & Woodland are proud to be involved in this important project.
We are delighted to announce our appointment to undertake the conservation of the oak roof structure at St James Priory in Bristol, a grade-I listed church built in 1129.
The church reached a stage one in the award for £3m from the HLF in 2007, but then had to put together a second stage application as well as raising £2m of funding itself before the grant would be given. It has been awarded the money for vital repair and restoration work.
The priory, which was originally founded by Benedictine monks to help the poorest and sickest people of the city, is located between Horsefair and the bus station. Fittingly the church also now houses a drug rehabilitation project.
An appeal campaign was launched to raise the money, which was supported by TV presenters Tony Robinson – himself a Bristol resident – and Kevin McCloud. Channel 4 presenter McCloud said: “This is an important building – locally and nationally. It is a valuable, rare and ancient artefact that informs our understanding both of the history of Bristol and of Norman architecture.”
The oak roof structure has spread over the years and suffered from the ingress of water resulting in fungal and insect attack. The repairs to the roof will start in July after and are expected to last for about 6 weeks.
More information
For more information about this news story, please contact:
E-mail: Laura Martin
