St Lawrence Jewry Church, London

Value - £4m

This Grade I Listed church underwent a conservation project in one of the most ambitious restorations of a Wren church for many years.

St Lawrence Jewry, the official church of the Lord Mayor of the City of London, was first built in 1136 in the east end of London – the old Jewish quarter. It was rebuilt in 1677 by Christopher Wren after it was destroyed in the Great Fire of London and reconstructed by Cecil Brown in 1957 after it was badly damaged in the Second World War.

This project marked the largest phase of work to the building since the reconstruction by Cecil Brown. Many of the finishes to the roofs, gutters, tower and spire were towards the end of their service life, as evidenced by water ingress that had been an increasing problem in previous years. The surviving Wren masonry suffered from heavy carbon staining and discoloration and isolated cracking caused by corrosion jacking of the concealed iron cramps.

The heritage scheme comprised the re-roofing of the Nave, Tower, Commonwealth Chapel, and Vicarage. The heavier sand cast code 8 lead used to the Nave required the careful safety assessment and strengthening of the post-war roof trusses, and we also provided engineering input into the stone masonry conservation, repairs and strengthening of the tower and spire, and improvements to the gutters and high-level water-disposal system.