City's road funds drying up (From The Wiltshire Gazette and Herald)

City's road funds drying up

ANOTHER milestone has been reached in the mammoth repairs programme at Salisbury Cathedral, which, in the past 19 years, has seen £16m spent on restoration work to the tower, spire, west front and south side of the building.

A celebration was held on Friday last week to mark the completion of six years' work on the cathedral roof.

Two-and-a-half acres of the roof have been releaded in the £2.1m latest phase of the ongoing programme, which has also seen repairs to the sarking boarding (the wooden slats on which the lead sits) and to some of the 2,950 tonnes of oak timber, which provide the main support structure.

Some 150 tonnes of lead were stripped and transported to the Leicester base of contractors Norman & Underwood and recast, before being returned and refitted to the cathedral roof.

The operation began in 1999 and represents the largest roofing project at the cathedral since that undertaken by Francis Price in the 18th Century.

The work has enabled an extensive programme of archaeological study and dendrochronology, which has significantly added to the history of the roof.

The roofing work has been funded by the Cathedral Trust, the Friends of Salisbury Cathedral and grants from English Heritage. Friday's celebration was held on the roof of the west cloisters and hosted by the Dean of Salisbury, the Very Reverend June Osborne.

Those present included Salisbury Cathedral Trust chairman Andrew Christie-Miller and secretary Robin Gamble, English Heritage architect for the south-west region Andrew Root, and Friends of Salisbury Cathedral chairman Hugh Keatinge and secretary Jane Erith.

Dean Osborne said: "We have already restored the tower, spire and west front - to the acclaim of all who have seen the work.

"But it is roofs that really matter. If the roof is watertight, then all is well."

The dean added: "We are enormously grateful to our funding partners for their consistent support throughout this activity, which has seen us reach this milestone.

"As stewards of this magnificent building, we are very aware of our responsibilities and are totally committed to completing the major repair programme within the next ten years.

"We look forward to continued support as we seek to raise the remaining £7m to £10m."

Of the £16m spent to date on repairs, about £7m has been donated by the Cathedral Trust, £6m by English Heritage and more than £1m by the Friends of the Cathedral.

The balance of £2m has come from the cathedral, through legacies, its fabric fund and from donations and income received from visitors.