Progress to date – 31 May 2022
The report is rather short this week because of the holiday at the end of it.
Real demolition has begun in earnest with the concrete slab now being broken up. The waste is then taken in a very small dumper truck to the very big waste container on the Cornerstone driveway. Special care will be taken not to dig too close to the pillars but elsewhere the door needs to be 340 mm deep to accommodate a layer of limecrete in which the underfloor heating pipes will run and then above that a shallow screed and finally the Ancaster limestone floor itself. The top surface will be at the same level as before.
There is always something incongruous about machinery in a building, no more so than in the church so we hope readers will enjoy these two.
The architect has just written to the contractors for estimates of additional work. Some things are very small, like an extra power point and additional water point for a coffee machine. Others rather larger – book storage, large servery unit and doors on the south porch. These are all things that had to be taken out of the specification when we cut down to a very limited Phase 1 and are mostly things that can be added in at the end when we know we have enough money for them. We are very much hoping that we will be able to afford at least some of them and are continuing to appeal for more funds. We welcome more donations at www.spaceforall.org.uk/supporting-the-project or our Just Giving page here.
Although the building itself is closed, worship continues in The Cornerstone on Sundays (8am, 9.30 and 11.15) and on weekdays (Tuesday and Wednesday at 10 am, Thursday at 9am) and the bell ringers have access to the tower.
There is still access to almost all the churchyard either through the lychgate in London Road or the double gate in Norreys Avenue. The memorials by The Cornerstone can be accessed from the Cornerstone south hall so long as that is not in use. The only recent memorials that are only accessible by special arrangement are those by the vestry door. Please contact the Parish office if you would like to visit one on a special day.
