North Devon Church shortlisted for prestigious RICS Award
— 08 May 2017
We are pleased to announce that St Mary’s Church in the North Devon village of High Bickington, has been shortlisted in the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) Awards 2017 in the building conservation category. The annual award ceremonies celebrate outstanding and inspiring projects across the UK in a series of regional award events.
Prior to the Jonathan Rhind Architecture team becoming involved in the St Mary’s Church project, the 12th Century building had suffered exposure to harsh weather conditions for many years and deteriorated to such a state that part of the churchyard had been fenced off for over five years because stones from the tower buttresses had loosened and were falling.
Furthermore, due to the impact of the vibrations on the tower structure, the Church bells had not been rung since 2010, meaning the Church at the heart of this close-knit community fell silent.
Jonathan Rhind Architects designed, planned and oversaw the repair work, which included rebuilding the tower buttresses and restoring the Church to its former glory. This was a complex process, with each stone numbered before being removed and, where original stones were delaminated or fractured, locally sourced replacement stones were introduced. Work began on site in July 2014 and was completed in February 2015.
Jonathan Rhind at Jonathan Rhind Architects said: “It is a great honour for our work to be recognised by the Royal Institute of Chartered Surveyors.
“We worked hard to ensure repairs complemented the original look and feel of the building, and we wanted to see the Church become a safe, enjoyable space for the community once more. This award recognises the work of all the team who were involved.
“We’d like to extend our congratulations to all who have made the shortlist.”
Winners are due to be announced at the regional award ceremony this coming Thursday, 11 May. You can view the full list of shortlisted projects here.
Regional winners will then move on to the national awards ceremony, competing against other projects from across the UK to be crowned overall winner in their respective category.
To find out more about our work on St Mary’s Church, view our case study here.
