Heritage Scaffold for Priory Stonework Restoration, St Bees

The Parochial Church Council of St Bees Priory commissioned us to provide heritage scaffold access for a phased programme of external stonework conservation on the Norman nave’s south elevation. The Priory — a Grade I listed building founded in the 12th century — had received Heritage Lottery funding for urgent stone repairs to the nave wall, where centuries of coastal weathering had eroded the original red sandstone to the point where structural integrity was threatened.

The conservation architect’s specification was exacting. The scaffold had to provide stable working platforms along a 22-metre elevation at multiple heights, while imposing zero risk of damage to the medieval fabric. The Priory remains an active parish church and hosts community events year-round, so public access to the south porch and churchyard had to be maintained throughout the estimated sixteen-week programme. This was the most demanding heritage scaffold commission we had undertaken on the west Cumbrian coast.

We designed and erected a full-length independent scaffold along the 22-metre south nave wall, standing 200mm clear of the stone face at every point. The scaffold rose to parapet height with working platforms at three levels, each giving the conservation stone masons access to a defined band of the wall for phased treatment. Every tie used heritage-grade padded plates bearing on the deep-set buttress faces — the only structural elements robust enough to accept scaffold loads without damage.

A protective canopy was installed over the south porch entrance to maintain safe public access throughout the works. Debris netting was fitted along the full scaffold length to contain any stone fragments during the masonry work. The scaffold design was developed in close collaboration with the conservation architect and submitted to Historic England for approval alongside the main conservation management plan. Internal staging was also provided inside the nave for the stone masons to monitor the interior face of the wall sections being treated externally.

The Priory’s churchyard is a scheduled monument, and the scaffold base positions had to avoid any ground disturbance to potential archaeological deposits. We used surface-mounted sole plates on the existing paved and grassed areas, with no excavation at any base position. The conservation archaeologist inspected and approved every base location before erection commenced.

St Bees’ coastal position means the scaffold faced sustained salt-laden winds throughout the sixteen-week programme. We specified additional wind bracing beyond standard requirements and carried out enhanced inspections after every period of gale-force weather. The Priory’s scheduled events calendar — including a wedding, two funerals and a community concert during the scaffold period — required us to maintain immaculate housekeeping around the scaffold at all times and to suspend noisy work during events. This is the level of community sensitivity we bring to all our heritage projects across the Egremont and St Bees area.