Teamwork on a Robert Mylne church:
Inveraray Parish Church
Inveraray, Argyll
Inveraray Parish Church was designed by Robert Mylne and built between 1795 and 1802 to house two congregations, English and Gaelic, separated by a solid wall. It stands on an island in the middle of the A83. We stripped and re-slated its large roof, renewed leadwork, replaced cement render with lime harling and repaired and repointed the stonework.
Before & after
Drag across the image to compare the building before our work and after completion.
BeforeAfter
The challenge
Working on a traffic island on a main trunk road required a robust traffic management plan to protect the workforce and the public. The large Scotch slates had to be stripped, sorted and re-dressed on a restricted site to save as many as possible, and new slate could only be ordered once the full extent of salvage was known. All of this took place in one of the wettest Scottish summers on record.
Our solution
Rafters and sarking were repaired before the salvaged slate was re-dressed and relaid, with new larger slates at the lower eaves courses. New lead watergates and cloak coverings were fitted to the skews. What began as selective render repair became full removal of the cement render and new lime harling with mineral paint, alongside stone indenting with salvaged local stone and lime repointing. Because every trade was in-house, the whole team pulled together: when slate arrived late, masons helped load out the roof, and the slaters returned the favour on the scaffold.
Outcomes
Roof saved, not replaced
Re-dressing the original Scotch slate kept as much historic material as possible.
Breathable walls
Cement render replaced with lime harling and mineral paint on all elevations.
In-house teamwork
Directly employed trades supported one another to keep a remote project on programme.
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