Repair company helps Teesside church raise vital funds following renovation
Stone Technical Services, based in Darlington, is helping a Teesside church to raise money following £20,000 worth of restoration work.
Stone has recently completed the renovation work at St James’s Parish Church in Thorpe Thewles, near Stockton-on-Tees, funded by a special donation and a £4000 grant from Northumbria Historic Churches Trust. The Grade II listed building, built around 1886, required extensive repairs to the stonework of the spire which had fallen into disrepair due to erosion.
Stone rebuilt the top of the spire but preserved the old stonemasonry which specialists at the company are now using to make tea light holders and paperweights. All of the money raised will be donated back to St James’s to top up church funds.
In addition to renovation work on the spire, Stone also rejuvenated and gold-leaf gilded the weather cockerel which can now be seen for miles around.
Working with HLB Architects, from Durham, Stone completed the project by hand using traditional methods, rather than modern machinery, to sensitively repair the spire.
Stone specialises in all aspects of high level maintenance, lightning conductor installation and steeplejack services as well as restoration and masonry refurbishment projects on churches, museums, clock towers, castles, spires and historic buildings all over the UK.
The company works on a variety of high profile buildings such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Selfridges in London and for organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust as well as for well known industrial clients such as INEOS Plant Utilities and Teesside Power Station.
Speaking about the work in Thorpe Thewles, managing director, Dave Stone said: “St James’s Church has a long history in Thorpe Thewles and is much-loved by its local community. We decided to use the stone from the old spire to make unusual paperweights and tea light holders which will, hopefully, help to recoup some of the funds used for the renovations and allow people to buy a small piece of local history.
“We work on hundreds of churches all over the UK and we are always very aware that churches have limited funds. Therefore we liaise closely with parish councils to help find the most economic and practical methods for repair work.”
To buy one of the tea light holders or paperweights contact Stone Technical Services, Kellaw Road, Darlington, DL1 4YA, 01325 282794 or enquiries@stoneservicesuk.com
