Wells Cathedral: repair and restoration continues

16 February 2021

Despite restrictions on all our lives “the show must go on” at our major historic buildings to keep them safe for the next few hundreds of years.

Our latest project at Wells Cathedral, funded by the Historic England ‘Grants for Programmes of Major Works’ fund, sees us on our most difficult scaffold yet, up to the top of the pinnacles on either side of the North Transept. Just getting to these areas requires significant engineering input and we worked closely with Montana Scaffolding to find the best way to get access without loading roofs. We are once again using original “put log” holes: re-using the original medieval scaffold support points. The work itself is largely stone repairs, specified by Cathedral Architect Nick Cox and carried out by Sally Strachey Historic Conservation. We are looking closely at the north east pinnacle which may need some additional structural work. The pinnacle has been scan surveyed and drawn stone by stone, so we will be able to carefully analyse the pattern of jointing and see whether some of the stones may have shifted.

Margaret Cooke
Director