LANCASTER’S Grade II* Church of St John the Evangelist is hosting a summer school run by Historic England for 21 trainees from northern England to learn under-threat heritage craft skills.

The trainees will assist Bullen Conservation with emergency repairs to the roof and high-level masonry.

The repairs to the Grade II* church, dating back to the 1750s, will help address the critical shortage of heritage skills in the construction industry.

The five-week summer school is being run by Historic England, who has also awarded the church a grant of £574,000 to support the urgent repair works, alongside £144,000 of funding from the Churches Conservation Trust (CCT).

As well as training on the job, trainees will also attend workshops at Lancaster and Morecambe College. There they will be learning skills including hot lime mortar mixing, slate roofing, stonemasonry, plastering, joinery, and mud masonry.

Lancaster Church Roof

The Grade II* Church of St John’s, dating back to the 1750s, is in the heart of Lancaster’s High Street Heritage Action Zone and Lancaster Conservation Area. Under the care of the CCT, the church was once used for concerts, community events and home to a fair-trade café.

However, this came to an end in 2015 following severe flooding during Storm Desmond. Storm damage led to deterioration, including dry and wet rot outbreaks.

Over the last eight years, CCT has invested around a quarter of a million pounds in remedial and emergency works at the church.

Terry Parsons, a CCT volunteer at St John’s, said: “I’m so pleased that the repair works are taking place at St John’s. I’ve cared for the church for many years and it’s so sad to see the decline, but this project means that the roof will be watertight and the inside of the church safe for people to enjoy for years to come.

“It’s also such a great opportunity for the trainees to develop the skills we need to care for all the wonderful historic buildings we have in Lancaster and further afield.”

Heritage Skills

There is a growing shortage of specialist skills in the building repair and conservation sector. Skills shortage 2023 Red List issued by Heritage Crafts includes flint knapping, gauged brickwork, stained glass making and slating as ‘endangered’ crafts.

The 21 trainees working on St John’s have varied backgrounds from software engineering to chemistry and building trades.

Heritage Roofing Trainee

Name: Robert Akisanya

Age: 30

Job title: Trainee roof slater and tiler (Tier 3)

Host Firm: WJ Conservation

Background – what were you doing before you applied?

Most recently I was learning software engineering.

Why did you apply for your apprenticeship/training position?

After buying our first home in 2021, my partner and I were thrown into the deep end when the house we thought just needed a bit of decorating turned out to require re-wiring, plumbing, re-plastering, and re-pointing, along with a fair few other things.

Along the way I’ve learned a lot about what’s required to maintain a traditionally built solid-walled property and have gained a passion for everything that goes into it – and I’ve also learned about how common bad practices and repairs are.

When I saw an advert for this position, I jumped at the chance to work with and learn more about, traditional building techniques and building conservation.

What do you hope to get out of this experience?

I’d love to gain a broad knowledge about building conservation. I’m also eager to learn about different local roofing styles, techniques, and vernacular materials, and to ultimately pursue a career in building conservation.

What is your favourite heritage building or site you have worked on and why?

I’ve only worked on one site so far, a Grade II* listed house in Herefordshire called Orleton Manor, which is a 17th-century timber-framed manor house. It’s a fantastic building that has a very special roof, with slates that are cut on-site and laid in random diminishing courses, and which are hung with oak pegs rather than nails on certain areas. The roof also features several Welsh valleys (a type of valley that doesn’t use lead), making it a unique and exciting roof to work on.

What is the most important tool in your kit and why?

The claw hammer – from putting on roof battens to pulling off roof battens, this tool can do it all.

The Heritage Building Skills Programme 

The Heritage Building Skills Programme, which launched in June 2021, is a five-year in-work training and apprenticeships programme. The Programme is providing around 40 heritage construction placements in the North of England, working with heritage construction host firms and construction skills training providers.

The programme is managed and delivered by Historic England and trades include stonemasonry, bricklaying, painting and decorating, carpentry and joinery, plastering, roofing and slate roofing, stained glass restoration, mosaic restoration, and millwrighting.

The core objectives of the Heritage Building Skills Programme are to reduce shortages in heritage construction skills, improve the condition of Heritage at Risk sites and create career opportunities for young people from less advantaged background.

>> Read more about heritage roofing in the news

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