News
Churchyard wall to be re-built (21-12-25)The Parish Council is planning to re-build the eastern section of the churchyard retaining wall.
This wall has a distinct bulge near the middle which has been monitored since August 2018. The wall is pushed over towards the road in the winter when the soil is wet and rocks back in the summer. The problem is that in summer the wall does not return to its starting position, but is being pushed over by about 1mm each year. The movement of the wall is also affecting the mortar joints, and the wall will eventually collapse.
A structural engineer has recommended that this section of wall be taken down, new concrete foundations installed, and the wall then be re-built. The Parish Council has accepted a quotation of £!,050 for the design work.
The wall is a curtilage structure to the church, which is a Grade IIb listed building, so permission to carry out the recommended works will be needed from the church authorities. The pavement at the eastern end of the wall is very narrow, and the church authorities have been asked whether it might be possible to re-build the wall 630mm further back.
There is a very tall Austrian pine tree growing near the wall, and the root growth of this tree is probably contributing to the lateral pressure on the wall. Rebuilding the wall might damage the roots of this tree and make it unstable. Rebuilding the wall further back would almost certainly lead to serious root damage. In this scenario the tree would probably have to be felled.
Investigations are continuing, and firm plans have not yet been drawn up. Progress will be reported at Parish Council meetings and here.
Parish Clerk