Church of St. Stephen's, West Putford A Grade I Listed Church from the 15th/16th Centuries with a failing, plastered barrel vault ceiling. The church has largely escaped Victorian “improvements” however the timbers to the roof structure and arch braces supporting the ceiling have suffered significant decay through deathwatch and furniture beetle activity. The entire roof and ceiling structure had become fragile to the extent where a section of plaster had fallen into the nave below. After initial investigations in 2006 under an English Heritage Grant, it was found that the bearings for the wall plates and base of the trusses had rotted in almost every instance. A programme of works was designed where the majority of the plaster ceiling could be retained as part of the historic fabric while structural repairs were carried out above. Initial investigations also discovered early sarking boards on the roof structure with peg holes which indicated that the roof may have originally been weathered with pegged scantle slate or timber shingles. The whole roof was repaired under strict conservation principles and completed in 2007. The majority of the cost of this work was covered under the English Heritage/Heritage Lottery Fund Grant. Winner of the North Devon Conservation Society Award 2007.
