Known as the ‘Cathedral on the Marshes’, the Grade I listed St Mary’s Church is known as the mother church of western Thanet. Founded in 670AD it was originally both a monastic and parish church with the oldest part of the present church building being built just after the Norman conquest.
The work PIERRA undertook was concentrated on the west end and south aisle of the church. There the teams highly skilled craftsmen renewed the south aisle lead roof covering with new Code 8 Sand Cast Lead along with associated replacement of the timber box gutters and repairs to the supporting oak rafters.
To the west end, part of the Norman tower and the Turret tower, which historically is unknown in date, were conserved and consolidated by carefully removing and replacing the detrimental hard contentious mortar pointing with lime based mortar with voids grouted using PIERRA’s specialist Heritage Lime based grout.
The original flint and rubble roof to the turret tower was then capped with new lead fixed to a bespoke timber frame and oak trimmer hand crafted to the contours of the masonry walling.
