Norwich Church repairs agreed
Norwich City Council’s newly elected Green cabinet has approved £564,000 of work at St Benedict’s and St Bartholomew’s
Crumbling medieval towers that could shed masonry onto passers-by are to undergo more than half a million pounds of repairs.
Norwich City Council’s newly elected Green cabinet has approved £564,000 of work at St Benedict’s and St Bartholomew’s – the last surviving fragments of two churches flattened by German bombs in 1942.
Surveys found decaying stonework and flint, failed historic repairs and defective roofs at both towers, with officers warning that debris falling from the ageing structures posed an increasing danger to people below.
Josh Worley, the cabinet member for business who presented the report, told colleagues the project was “fundamentally about resident safety”.
“These ruins sit directly within our local communities, and leaving this historic fabric to decay poses quite an immediate risk to public safety from falling materials to pedestrians and neighbours,” he said.
“By intervening now, we prevent a structural crisis and avoid significantly higher emergency costs in the future.”
St Benedict’s, a round tower thought to date from the 11th century, stands just off the street of the same name, surrounded by blocks of flats, while 15th century St Bartholomew’s is off Heigham Street.
Both are owned and maintained by City Hall as heritage assets.
The initial works are costed at £450,000, with a 20pc contingency built in, funded through the council’s capital programme.
A shortlist of specialist conservation contractors will be invited to bid through a restricted tender, which Mr Worley said would keep “public money supporting local jobs”.
He added: “Norwich is a city with a rich history and a very precious heritage, and these medieval structures are a vital, beautiful part of that story.”
With listed building and scheduled monument consents secured, contractors will stabilise the towers, replace decayed stone, repair roofs, improve drainage and clear vegetation and pigeon droppings.