The Cathedral Church commands a prominent site at the heart of Chichester. The steeply roofed nave and chancel are key elements of most views of the cathedral. Chicester Cathderal is the closest to the coast of any English cathedral.
The timber roof structure is highly significant and dates back to the thirteenth century. The roofs of the cathedral were covered in lead sheet up to the 1940's when is was decided to recover the building in copper sheet. One reason suggested for this approach was the high salvage value of the removed lead.
The method used to cover the roofs was a variation of the traditional method with the use of triangular rolls at the seams. Nearly all the copper is covered with a green patina except for a small area to the North East tower sheltered from the wind. For many years wind lift of the copper sheets has left to defects in the covering. The cathedral works has sought to fix down lifted sheets with by screw fixing them down just above the welt with a proprietary copper cup to improve the fixing qualities. Many of these fixings have subsequently failed.
No decision has been made on the when the covering will be replaced though discussions have started. Some small areas where water leaks were of concern have been recovered in lead. The defects in the copper covering are progressive and may be a consequence of the fixing method used, normally reserved for flat roof coverings.
I was invited and guided around the roof of Chichester Cathedral by the Clerk of Works, Ralph Tyrman.
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