St. John’s Church in Cinderford, Forest of Dean is a wonderful little church boasting a small spire once host to a bright and shiny new cockerel. Times have changed, however, and with it, the condition of the weathervane it once homed.
The team were asked to conduct a full scale interior/exterior photographic inspection of the spire, bell tower and stonework to determine the degree of deterioration and any necessary course of action to take. They quickly scaled the outside of the spire using their efficient bolting system, following the line of the lightning conductor as they went in order to hide the already nondescript anchoring bolts.
The stone faces of the spire itself was found to be in a good general condition. Things changed when the WallWalkers reached the top however, to find the iron weathervane rod rusting and exploding at a dangerous rate. A quick abseil up the inside of the tower and spire showed the situation wasn’t much better internally either, with an photo of the interior rod in an equally unstable condition suggesting potential water ingress.
Further investigation found rusting of the bells, potentially from the spire’s water ingress, and the presence of pigeon nesting showing bird proofing may be required.
The report has been submitted the WallWalkers hope to get to work tackling these issues as soon as possible.
