Facelift Repairs English Church

Enlarge Image Facelift's Bronto boom lift assists in making emergency repairs to a church in England.

October 21, 2008 • United Kingdom-based Facelift was recently called upon to assist with emergency repair work on the roof of Shrewsbury's famous St. Chad's Church in England. Facelift, along with its new 200-foot Bronto boom lift, joined forces with Mark Bywater Leadwork Specialists and Tim Ratcliffe, conservation architect, to help with the major structural survey.

The 200-year-old church required repairs to the lead roof after fears were raised about its condition. According to Adrian Richards, chairman of the fabric committee at St. Chad's, there were large 440-pound lead panels on the tower of the church that appeared to be partly torn away. While checking on that and making emergency repairs, the church wanted to assess how much other work needed to be carried out because the church was due for its five-year inspection.

The committee chose the boom lift because it was more affordable than scaffolding, according to Richards.

“The 61-m [200-foot] was the most efficient way to carry out repairs to stabilise the roofs panels,” said David Bowman, Facelift manager. “Its generous 600-kg [1,322-pound] working load and its ability to maneuver safely around the building made it a clear cut choice, and it didn't disrupt from the church's day-to-day activities.”