Maintaining Scottish Churches - Cromarty East

Event details

Maintaining Scottish Churches - Cromarty East

Tuesday 16 September 10am - 3.30pm

Are you involved in caring for and maintaining a place of worship in Scotland?

Caring for a historic building can feel like a never-ending task, but thankfully there are some simple steps you can take to keep your building in good condition and reduce the likelihood of large repair projects further down the line.

In this introductory one-day course, we’ll explore how your historic faith building works and the practical steps you can take to look after it.

You'll be able to put your new knowledge into action right away, with a practical exercise looking at the host building inside and out to identify maintenance issues and areas of vulnerability. There will also be the opportunity to discuss your building with the course tutors and others attending.

Armed with a new understanding of how traditional buildings were constructed, how they work, and how they decay, you’ll leave with the skills and confidence you need to spot and tackle common problems that put your old building at risk.

Who is this course for?

This course is aimed at those directly involved in the maintenance of church buildings in a voluntary capacity such as clergy and members of vestries, presbytery members, Fabric Officers or members of Fabric Committees. Community group representatives and private owners of church buildings are also welcome. 

You will learn

By the end of this course, you will understand

• why buildings decay and how to spot common problems
• building maintenance basics and why they are important
• how to plan the routine maintenance of historic places of worship
• professional inspections and reports and their role in building maintenance
• how to stay safe while maintaining your place of worship

Programme

• 10am - Maintenance
  This session will explore what maintenance is and why it’s important, including how buildings decay and how to spot and tackle common problems.
• 10.50am - Current Challenges for Churches
  This session will explore some of the varied ways church buildings can be used, and will give guidance on current funding opportunities for communities.
• 11.20am - Questions
• 11.30am - Refreshments
• 11.45am - Managing Maintenance and Staying Safe
  This session will cover how to plan routine care of historic places of worship. This includes understanding the role of professional inspections and reports, and managing relationships with contractors and specialists. We’ll also look at risk assessment, working at height and fire safety
• 12.45pm - Questions
• 12.50pm - Lunch
• 1.35pm - Observation Exercise
  A practical activity looking at the building element by element, inside and outside, to identify vulnerable areas of the fabric of the building and maintenance issues.
• 2.45pm - Refreshments
• 3pm - Q&A Session
  An opportunity to ask further questions about the care and repair of places of worship.
• 3.30pm - Close

How to get there

The morning session will be held at the Cromarty Arts Trust, The Old Brewery, 19 Bank Street, Comarty IV11 8YE. This is directly opposite Cromarty East Church, where we will be for the afternoon walk-about session. 

You will need

Please wear warm, comfortable layers and sturdy and closed shoes. We recommend bringing a raincoat or umbrella for the practical exercise as part of it will be outdoors.

Lunch

There will be a simple sandwich lunch provided, along with general refreshments, tea, coffee etc.  The course fee covers this.  Please let us know of any dietary requirements as part of the booking form.

Tutors

Iain Mitchell Davidson - SPAB Scotland Guardian & conservation architect.

Lucy Stewart is Scotland Officer for SPAB, conservation accredited architect, and 2009 SPAB Scholar.

Victoria Collinson - Historic Churches Scotland

Assessment / Accreditation

There is no formal assessment for this course, but we can provide a Certificate of Attendance upon request.

Accessibility

• Seating is available during the presentations in the Old Brewery (Cromarty Arts Trust). The observation exercise involves a 70-minute walk inside and outside the church, with periods of standing and looking upwards.
• The church is accessible on a flat path with one step into the church hall. There may be uneven surfaces in and around the church
• There is ample on-street parking and toilets are available

Anything we can do to make this event more accessible for you? Please email scotland@spab.org.uk.

This course is supported by Historic Environment Scotland as part of a wide range of events in response to the sales of church buildings in Scotland.  

  

We may take photos or videos at this event to be used in future promotion, including in print and online. 
All bookings are subject to our Terms and Conditions.

Image: East Church, Cromarty - CC-BY-SA Geograph project via Wikimedia Commons