Regional Working Party at Shotesham St Mary

 Registration is closed for this event
Join our SPAB Norfolk Group to give some much-needed love and care to the ruined church of St Martin's in Shotesham St Mary, Norfolk

15 and 16 July 2022,10am-4pm

St Martin's is one of four churches within the parish of Shotesham St Mary. Dating mainly from the 15th and 16th centuries, the church was abandoned in the 17th century and fell into disrepair.

Fortunately, the village rose to the challenge. In 2009, the Shotesham Conservation group brought people together to help clear the site in readiness for a major phase of repairs, which were finished in 2011.

This meant that St Martins became well known and recognized for its historic importance as well as its beauty in the landscape. It has become an iconic feature.

Ongoing small repairs are necessary to preserve the remains and continue to allow public access and enjoyment. In early 2020 a small project team formed to move the project forward. The lead has come from the Norfolk Regional Group of The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings (SPAB); with support from TheParochial Parish Council (PCC) and the Shotesham Village Association (SVA).

Even though there were difficult periods during the pandemic, we've completed two phases of planned works so far.

Phase 1: Introductory talks to explain the history of the Church and the materials from which it is constructed. Also what we hope to achieve by using the ruins as a conduit for learning about the practical conservation of a ruined early medieval structure. Participants helped to survey the ruin and carried out a condition survey. 

Phase 2: Analysis and specifications for repairs which included trial repairs to the south porch walls including placing grass turfs (soft capping) on top to manage water ingress to the flint core. (Please also see the article on the SPAB website).

Phase 3 (current phase): This will involve 3 periods of work and events starting with this Mid-Summer working party. We will carry out lime work repairs including local flintwork rebuilding and repointing. We are aiming to slake lime on-site using a purpose-built lime kiln which will be completed during the first day of the working party.

Please join us if you wish. Places are limited, so book early.

Places for this working party are £50 per person for the two days, which includes refreshments, a light lunch and invite to the summer gathering (Friday 15th July 5pm-dusk),

Student Places: We have five free places available for students on this working party, which will be allocated on a first come, first serve basis. Please contact membership@spab.org.uk with details of your studies to book a free student place.

 

Multiple bookings
As long as there is space on the event, we usually allow you to book for both yourself and a guest. When completing the booking form, you will be asked to select the number of people and put in your own details on the first page, then to put in your second person's details on the next page. The event fee shown on each of these pages is for the individual person - you will be shown the total amount due once you get to the summary page.

About the Norfolk Regional Group
The Norfolk Groupwas set up in 2019 to organise events and visits for local members.

Booking Terms & Conditions

Accessibility: please contact the Group Organiser before booking to discuss any special access requirements.

Image credit: Michael Knights

When
15th July 2022 10:00 AM to 16th July 2022 4:00 PM
Location
St Martin Ruined Church
Hawes Green
Shotesham St. Mary
NORWICH, NFK NR15 1UW
United Kingdom
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Event Fee(s)
Event fees (includes refreshments & a light lunch) £50.00