Falmouth Methodist church roof cover needs replace

The church on the Moor was sold was recently sold to business partners Harry James Mills and Shaun White who, along with two other partners, are creating a space in the church that retains the communal use of the old church space while also providing two commercial outlets and local residential properties.

It has been used for the first time this weekend as one of the venues for the Falmouth Cringe comedy festival.

The timbers in the roof and where the water is getting in. Pictures Cornwall Planning

The original roof covering was entirely destroyed during World War Two and was subsequently replaced in its entirety circa 1956 with none of the original roofing remaining.

The roof is thought to have been damaged by storms in 2008 with water able to enter the building ever since.

In its application to the council the businessmen says some of the slates have reached the end of their practical value and are absorbing large amounts of moisture resulting in areas of the roof being constantly wet, even on a dry day.

"Upon inspection, some of these slates may be wet to the touch and friable, being an indication that the structure of the slate has now diminished to a point where its properties of low water absorption and resistance to frost have been lost. Subsequently, the re-use of some of these slates will not be practical or cost effective.

"Regardless of any previous attempted repairs, the roof is in poor order in many places and is not performing as expected with evidence of failure and damage from the ingress of water apparent around some of the internal faces of the building. If not addressed, the building remains at risk to exposure to the elements which could cause permanent damage to this heritage asset if allowed to continue."

The roof is urgent need of repair. Picture Cornwall Planning

It is proposed to replace the roof covering using as many of the existing slates as is possible. Where replacements are considered necessary, suitable reclaimed natural slates matching the originals will be used and mechanically fixed using traditional construction techniques.

It is proposed to erect scaffolding around the property, in accordance with the ‘General Note: Scaffolding’ below to ensure no damage is caused to the fabric of the building and then carefully remove the roof slates and ridge tiles storing all salvageable material safely for re-use on the roof.

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Inspect existing roof timbers and undertake repairs and refurbishments as required, to ensure the slates can be properly affixed then recover the roof with the original slates previously removed, fixing them with copper nails atop a breathable membrane and introducing any replacement natural slates or ridge tiles to match the surviving sizing and pattern of the traditional construction.