Church roof over Shakespeare's tomb in danger of collapsing
Workmen repairing lead on the roof have found that the main beams of the chancel roof are rotting faster than originally thought.
Urgent building work is now required to repair the beams, costing £50,000, to prevent the roof falling in.
Martin Gorick, vicar of Stratford, said: “Workmen who were repairing the lead found that the odd bit dropped off inside the church, which alarmed us greatly.
“We had to temporarily close the church. It is now safe to visit but perilous to work on the roof.”
The chancel roof sits over Shakespeare’s bust, gravestone and final resting place. Church leaders are extremely concerned that they would be damaged by any falling masonry and are keen to have the roof repaired as soon as possible...
... The restorations are due to take 15 years to complete. They were timed to coincide with the Holy Trinity Church being 800 years old next year and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016.
Read entire article at telegraph.co.uk
Urgent building work is now required to repair the beams, costing £50,000, to prevent the roof falling in.
Martin Gorick, vicar of Stratford, said: “Workmen who were repairing the lead found that the odd bit dropped off inside the church, which alarmed us greatly.
“We had to temporarily close the church. It is now safe to visit but perilous to work on the roof.”
The chancel roof sits over Shakespeare’s bust, gravestone and final resting place. Church leaders are extremely concerned that they would be damaged by any falling masonry and are keen to have the roof repaired as soon as possible...
... The restorations are due to take 15 years to complete. They were timed to coincide with the Holy Trinity Church being 800 years old next year and the 400th anniversary of Shakespeare’s death in 2016.