Phase 2 – the inside
Once the exterior of the building is sound again we need to focus on the inside. Because of the issues with damp in the walls and just due to the age of the building there are quite large areas of the lime wash on the interior wall that are flaking away. These require a coat of breathable stabilisation, before reapplying the finish coat of distemper.
You can see some examples of the areas we’d like to improve here.
At the same time we’d want to paint/distemper the panels in the ceiling of the nave which are also suffering due to their age.
As part of the same project we would also like to look at improving the ventilation of the building as a whole, with modifications to a couple of windows to add air vents. This will help reduce the damp issues in the future.
At the same time we’d like to include restoration/cleaning of one or two of the older paintings/plaques hanging on the North wall
We’re only at the stage of budgetary estimates for this work, but because of the specialist nature of the scaffolding and the skills required from the contractor to treat our historic building as it deserves the cost of this work is likely to be around £30,000.
We don’t have this money available at the moment and we are seeking grant funding to meet some of the expense. We hope too that the community both within and outside the regular congregations of both churches will be willing to help with this, as we know that Holy Cross means so much to so many people.
Donations can be made at https://standrewholycross.org/support-us/ Alternatively please do speak to one of the churchwardens or our treasurer who will be able to tell you more.
You can also visit our dedicated Justgiving page.