An overdue overhaul...

... for St Mary's Church, Rickinghall Superior, Suffolk

15th-century church builders loved creating walls almost of glass and this is reflected in St Mary's Church with its magnificent three-light windows.

The village and church were mentioned in the Domesday Book, but unfortunately the population gradually moved away when a main coaching road from Norwich to Bury St Edmunds was established.

This church has been in need of a bit of a 'nip and tuck' to keep it in ship-shape, and between April and July 2010, we got to work.

What did we do?

• Re-tiled the chancel roof
• Inserted a bat-slate to allow the bats to exit and enter their roost
• Repaired the flint flushwork on the porch
• Renewed the pointing on the porch
• Repaired the masonry on the tower

We had to make sure the work was completed before the end of May as there is a maternity colony of bats in residence.

The total cost of the project was £60,000. We are most grateful to the Stuart Heath Charitable Settlement for its contribution.

Project team

CCT Conservation Manager: Brian Clark
Architect: Shawn Kholucy
Contractor: F A Valiant & Son Ltd

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