Painting the Windmill on Willesborough Hill

Using rope access and steeplejack techniques to paint, maintain and repair a windmill may not be an easy task.



But it is certainly more financially and visually favourable to scaffolding.



Our conservation team achieved stellar results here, giving this stunning Sussex windmill; a quintessential piece of English heritage, a refreshing lease of life.



View our blog post showing how our recent project went.


Norwich Cathedral Weathercock Repairs

An update on our latest work at the awe-inspiring Cathedral in Norwich:



In September we removed the gilded weathercock that sits on top of Norwich Cathedral’s centuries-old spire, to be re-gilded as part of a wider restoration project.



It is thought this marks the first time since 1963 that the weathercock has been brought to ground.



Re-gilding the weathercock was as enjoyable as it was challenging, with multiple layers of the micron-thick gold leaf needed to give it new life.
Suffice to say, the result was worth the effort.


First Ascent: Norwich Cathedral

This week, you may have heard us on the radio, seen us on the television or read about us in the paper.



Though our social media accounts have been somewhat quiet since the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been very busy as a company and blessed with a multitude of wonderful projects.



One such project is that of the spire repair works to Norwich Cathedral, which began this week.



At 96 metres, Norwich Cathedral is home to the second tallest steeple in the United Kingdom, topped only by that of Salisbury Cathedral.
We’re set carry out a variety of works on the spire.

Changing the Flag on Lockdown

The cogs of our company machine are slowly starting to whirr, freeing themselves of the dust and spider webs built up during lockdown!



With restrictions lifting this week, and many companies/traders returning to work, now is a good time to update you on our ‘steeplejacking’ activities.



Jutting out at heights far above the pitched copper roof of Leicester Cathedral, a flagpole was recently in dire need of repair.


Up in Lights – Brushing up on The Royal Academy of Arts

Our rope access services were recently called upon by the Royal Academy of Arts, London. Tasks included specialist cleaning of the priceless sculpture, and the replacement of difficult to access high-level light bulbs. Carried out in the dead of night, it proved to be one of the more complex of our recent undertakings.


After all, how does one suspend oneself over a 50ft void with nothing to attach to above or beside them?


While we gently brushed every surface, line and contour of each sculpture, a professional photographer took shots and footage for a film on the maintenance of the historic gallery.