DAMAGED FLOOR IN CATHEDRAL

Press, Volume LXXXIV, Issue 25389, 12 January 1948, Page 6

DAMAGED FLOOR IN CATHEDRAL

TILES LIFTED AND CRACKED CAUSE OF TROUBLE NOT KNOWN When the Christchurch Cathedral was opened on Friday morning a large number of the floor tiles in the main aisle about the centre of the building were badly cracked and many of them had lifted during the night. The Rev. W. A. Orange, Precentor of the Cathedral, said last evening that the affected area formed an L shape on the pulpit side of the aisle, each of the two arms of the L-shaped area being about 12 feet long and three feet wide. The Cathedral was locked at nights and the damage could not have been caused by vandalism. It was a most unusual disturbance, said Mr Orange. Most of the tiles were standing on their ends in V shapes and many of them were badly cracked and broken. The damage was quite severe. As the firm that usually did the Cathedral repairs was closed over the holidays, some difficulty in repairing the damage was experienced. The Cathedral was closed all day Saturday and for yesterday’s services coconut matting was spread over the damaged part. The concrete underneath the lifted tiles was in good order. It appeared as if the trouble might spread, as there was another area of tiles near the north door which was spongy to walk on. It was a recurrence of the old trouble, said Mr C. Bean, chairman of the precincts committee of the Cathedral, when questioned last evening about the damage. The same thing had occurred about six times before, the last time about three years ago. It caused a great deal of bother, as well as much expense. There was no other remedy but to relay the tiles, and no one had been able to give the committee a satisfactory explanation of the trouble. The heat during last week might have had something to do with it. Arrangements were in hand for the repair work, and this would be hmshed for the services next week-

The tiler engaged to do the repair work (Mr F. J. Ball) said he had never seen anything like it before. All the tiles affected were lifted up. and many of them had been snapped in two The caretaker had told him he had heard the cracking and breaking noise when the incident occurred. ~ The Cathedral was built on an- area that was once a riverbed, and this might be an explanation of the occurrence. He estimated the damage at between £5O and £6O. Tiles were hard to obtain, and there might be some difficulty in replacing the broken ones.