RESTORING A CATHEDRAL

Otago Daily Times, Issue 21828, 15 December 1932, Page 18

RESTORING A CATHEDRAL

Many school children in Lincoln are JOW seeing their bueatiful cathedral for the first time. In the last 10 years the queen of English cathedrals has been wearing a veil of scaffolding, necessary in the great work of restoration which will be completed this month, when the Duke and Duchess of York will visit the city for the restoration thanksgiving service. The cost of the restoration is about £150,000. More than £20,000 was collected by the late Dr Fry, dean of Lincoln.

In the fight against crumbling masonry *nd the ravages of the dreaded death watch beetle Mr E. S. Godfrey, surveyor and clerk of works, has worked wonders. The main problem was to deal .with defective walls and arches, which had spread and subsided. Compressed air plant was set up at a very early stage of the work, and the drilling of the walls has been carried out by mechanical power, thus enabling the grout to be introduced into the heart of the thick rubble walls. “In the south-west tower,” said Mr Godfrey, “10,502 holes, making five and a-half miles in length, have been drilled at a speed at least 25 times quicker than could be done by hand. To consolidate the structure non-rusting metal reinforcements have been inserted in each borehole before grouting. It has been possible to recreate a crumbling medieval building into a perfect structure, which Vill stand for 1000 years. There will be no scars to show where the grouting has been done.”