A survey of six ruined churches:

Ruined Churches, Angus

Angus

Our role: Heritage consultant
Client: Angus Council Property Services
Scope: Condition surveys of six ruined churches, costed schedules, prioritised programme, repair specifications

LTM Consultancy was appointed by Angus Council Property Services to survey six ruined churches in varying states of ruin. The aim was to make sure the buildings were inspected proactively and kept in a safe condition for visitors to enjoy.

Ruined Churches, Angus, Angus — photograph 1

Ruined Churches, Angus, Angus — photograph 2

The challenge

Ruined buildings are exposed to the weather on every face, and a group of six needs a way to decide what to deal with first. The council needed costed schedules for each site and a sound, consistent basis for choosing repair methods.

Our solution

We surveyed each church independently and prepared a costed schedule of work for each, with repairs prioritised as short, medium and long term. We then compared priorities across the whole group so that a rolling maintenance and repair programme could be developed. A full evaluation of the technical, aesthetic, historic and philosophical issues affecting each structure informed and justified the repair strategies. Repair specifications covering materials, including mortar mixes, and repair methods were also produced for use on all future repairs.