A CATHEDRAL RECOVERED
In this article, Derek Barnard tells us
about the terrible condition that Rochester Cathedral was in at the
beginning of the 19th century and of the restoration work carried out then
which, with later additions, saved the building for our present day
enjoyment.
This year we received into our archives a type
written report of 1972, copied from the notebook of Robert Stevens D.D.,
who was Dean during the Cottingham refurbishment of the cathedral in 1825
and 1826. I had never seen this document before and it explained to me the
extent of the work undertaken in what was a critical time in the life of
the building. I hope these brief notes will be of interest.
In late 1824 the Dean and Chapter decided to restore the choir of
the cathedral and employed Mr Cottingham to give an estimate for the work.
After surveying the fabric he reported that the roof of the choir,
replaced only fourteen years before was badly affected by dry rot and was
in danger of collapse. The Dean inspected the roof timbers himself and
found they were as reported. Repair work was started immediately and
another architect, Mr Smirke, was asked to survey the whole of the
building. His report must have filled the Dean with dismay for it makes
horrendous reading, although the condition of the cathedral must have been
obvious even to the casual observer.
All around the base the external ground was higher than the floor
by up to three feet, causing the lower outer walls to be damp and
decaying. Damaged and blocked roof gutters and valleys were allowing water
to penetrate. Adding to the problems at high level were the non-existent
parapets and those that remained were in bad repair with lead hanging
loose. Many of the stringcourses had stones missing and open joints. This
water ingress together with lack of ventilation between vaulting and roof
was allowing the rot to spread rapidly along the roof timbers. The
remaining West Front turret was bulging in the middle and the stonework of
almost every window needed urgent replacement including the large East and
West windows that were particularly bad. The south choir transept was
already fifteen inches out of upright, causing the vaulting in that area
to crack and fall.
The spire, rebuilt 67 years before, was also in a dangerous
condition. The bad lead work of the rebuild had let in the rain over many
years, rotting the woodwork of both spire and tower. Removal or major
repairs were recommended. In fact the situation was far more serious than
thought for the great joists carrying the belfry floor went almost through
the tower walls and the ends were very nearly non-existent. They would
certainly have collapsed in a few years bringing tower and spire down
through the building.
The good news was that because the columns and walls were set on
natural chalk rock - the finest of foundations - the building itself was
solidly based though some walls had fractures.
To everyone's credit the whole of the repairs were carried out
within two years at a total cost of just over £8000. To this sum the Dean
contributed £1000 and each prebendary £500, making £4000 in all. The
Dean agreed to pay £100 per year and each prebendary £50 over five years
and with the sale of some assets the costs were covered.
