St Mary’s Chapel is a building site again as we complete the restoration
of the Chapel begun in 2020. Following creation of the wheelchair access and
related changes, work was paused but started again at the end of April with a
scheduled completion in early November 2024. We will publish a series of Blogs
and videos so that people can see the progress. The main work concerns the
plaster because a gypsum-based plaster had been applied about 50 years
ago. Apart from being unsuitable for a
building of this age, it had also suffered from water ingress before the roof
was replaced more than decade ago. For old buildings, and the Chapel dates back
to about 1450, a lime-based plaster should be used. So the biggest part of this
second phase of the restoration was to replace the existing plaster with a
lime-based one.
When the contract with North Group started in April 2024, the first steps were to protect all the existing features which could not be moved. These included the font, ‘altar’, some carved wood panels, civic pew and choir desk. All the windows and floor were also covered, then the old electric circuits and lights were removed.
Protection being put in place to cover the floor, font (mid distance), civic pew and choir stall (left) (Photo Bill Ross)
Removal of the old plaster was carried out by hand using a hammer and
chisel. This required moveable platforms to gain access, but even so a lot of
the actual work was carried out overhead. It was found that the plaster varied
in thickness, reaching almost 2 inches in places. This was very hard physical work
for the men involved. This work was carried out with an archaeologist present
in case anything of historic interest was uncovered. There were two areas of
particular interest, but nothing definitive was uncovered, although a number of
further ‘mason marks’ were found. These marks were carved into the stone by a
mason as a sign that they had carved it and so could claim pay for doing it.
Once all the plaster was removed, the whole of the exposed walls and vaulting
was recorded photographically for posterity.
Part of old plaster removed exposing the stonework underneath (Photo: Cameron Archaeology)Part of wall with old plaster completely removed (Photo: Cameron Archaeology)
The joints between the uncovered stones were chipped out and re-pointed,
before any new plaster was applied. In places quite extensive work was need to
‘pack’ the joints. Whilst the floor area of the Chapel is not large, the walls
and vaulted ceiling amounts to a significant area. As expected, this work took
quite a long time to complete.
A section of the vaulted ceiling with all the plaster removed and the mortar picked out before re-pointing (Photo: Bill Ross)The vaulted ceiling picked out between the stones and pointing starting to take place (Phot: Bill Ross) Part of the vaulted ceiling with pointing complete – and some new electrical cable waiting to be fixed in place. (Photo: Bill Ross)
The photographs
have been taken at various stages in this initial work. There are also videos
of some of this available via the Tab ‘Videos’.
The external ramp described in the previous post gave access to the door into St Mary’s Chapel. However, that was not the only problem because internally there were still three steps going up into the north aisle and then four steps down from the north aisle to the floor level of the central area. The interior of the chapel was last re-ordered in 1898. Prior to that work an architect report prepared in 1895 seemed to indicate that the north aisle floor was at a lower level and that it should be raised during the proposed work. It was concluded, therefore, that there was unlikely to be very much of significance below the paved floor. However, because this is a known archaeological site it was important that there was a ‘watching brief’ from an archaeologist whenever any digging was involved – this also applied to the more limited work outside on the ramp.
The north aisle of St Mary’s Chapel before work started, showing the steps down into the central area.Inside the entrance door. The staircase, just visible to the left, was removed to create an open space for the entrance, toilet and kitchen areas.
When internal work started an early requirement was to move the font. The top and the pedestal parts of the stone font were easily separated and removed for safe keeping (shown in one of the photographs). The base appeared to be made of five separate stones, but they refused to be separated. Since they weighed in the region of 1.5 tons a specialist team was required to move it.
The top of the font and its pedestal safely removed. There was an earlier blog about the enamel panels on the font.The base of the font. Because the stones would not separate it created a problem in moving it.
In general there was very little under the stone floor apart from soil until a greater depth was reached. A few items were found, one artefact being a rather intriguing piece of what appears to be carved stone. Also, at the lowest level a curved channel was uncovered, but what its purpose was is not clear – it is shown in one of the photographs. Also along the north wall, and part of the west wall, below the old floor level there was an irregular scarcement – in effect the wall jutted out like an uneven ledge. The artefacts which were found will be subject to full study and a report will be made in due course.
The mysterious ditch or channel at the lowest level under the old floor.
At the old entrance to the chapel, there was a redundant
staircase going off the entrance lobby. The staircase was removed. This created
sufficient space to not only allow the new entrance corridor, but also on one
side to accommodate an accessible toilet and on the other a small kitchen area.
Both required a new electrical supply. The cables from the existing electric fuse
boxes were run round the apse behind the carved wood panels. Water, which also entered
the building on the south side, was required for both toilet and kitchen.
Fortunately there was a small channel across the apse area which was large enough
to carry the pipe. The drains were connected to the main drain under the paved
area outside the chapel during that phase of the work.
The ‘new’ north aisle with the font back in place and no steps between it and the central area.The font with, in the background, the accessible toilet and new entrance on the right.
As the work started it was hoped that the full restoration
of the chapel could be completed. The additional work would involve temporarily
removing all the 17th century carved wood. The present plaster is
wrong for a building of this age – it is gypsum based – so it will all have to be
removed and replaced with an appropriate material. The electric wiring will be
replaced enabling the lighting to be upgraded to something more appropriate for
the chapel and also the provision of a level of electrical heating. Finally the
carved panels will be replaced and the walls covered with a lime-based plaster
(as it would have been 600 years ago). Unfortunately the funding did not
materialise as expected so it was necessary to pause the work and try to make
the chapel as ‘presentable’ as possible for the time being until the work can
be completed.
The chapel has already been open for visitors on two
Saturdays and will be open again between 10am and 1pm on 30th July
and 13th August, and between 10am and 4pm on 10th
September (part of Doors Open Day). It is available to hire if people are
interested – it has already hosted two meetings.
When internal work started an early requirement was to move
the font. The top and the pedestal parts of the stone font were easily
separated and removed for safe keeping (shown in one of the photographs). The
base appeared to be made of five separate stones, but they refused to be
separated. Since they weighed in the region of 1.5 tons a specialist team was
required to move it. In general there was very little under the stone floor
apart from soil until a greater depth was reached. A few items were found, one
artefact being a rather intriguing piece of what appears to be carved stone.
Also, at the lowest level a curved channel was uncovered, but what its purpose was
is not clear – it is shown in one of the photographs. Also along the north
wall, and part of the west wall, below the old floor level there was an
irregular scarcement – in effect the wall jutted out like an uneven ledge. The
artefacts which were found will be subject to full study and a report will be
made in due course.
At the old entrance to the chapel, there was a redundant
staircase going off the entrance lobby. The staircase was removed. This created
sufficient space to not only allow the new entrance corridor, but also on one
side to accommodate an accessible toilet and on the other a small kitchen area.
Both required a new electrical supply. The cables from the existing electric fuse
boxes were run round the apse behind the carved wood panels. Water, which also entered
the building on the south side, was required for both toilet and kitchen.
Fortunately there was a small channel across the apse area which was large enough
to carry the pipe. The drains were connected to the main drain under the paved
area outside the chapel during that phase of the work.
As the work started it was hoped that the full restoration
of the chapel could be completed. The additional work would involve temporarily
removing all the 17th century carved wood. The present plaster is
wrong for a building of this age – it is gypsum based – so it will all have to be
removed and replaced with an appropriate material. The electric wiring will be
replaced enabling the lighting to be upgraded to something more appropriate for
the chapel and also the provision of a level of electrical heating. Finally the
carved panels will be replaced and the walls covered with a lime-based plaster
(as it would have been 600 years ago). Unfortunately the funding did not
materialise as expected so it was necessary to pause the work and try to make
the chapel as ‘presentable’ as possible for the time being until the work can
be completed.
The chapel has already been open for visitors on two
Saturdays and will be open again between 10am and 1pm on 30th July
and 13th August, and between 10am and 4pm on 10th
September (part of Doors Open Day). It is available to hire if people are
interested – it has already hosted two meetings.
It has long been the ambition of the OpenSpace Trust to
provide wheelchair access to St Mary’s Chapel. However, it was always going to
be difficult to achieve because of the changes of level involved. Externally,
there was a small step by the gate into the Kirkyard, then two steps beside the
path past the chapel entrance, then another two steps up to the entrance door.
Inside there were a further three steps up before reaching the north aisle –
but that was four steps higher than the central space of the chapel. If we add
to that the age of the building, going back to the mid-1400s, it was always going
to be a technically difficult, and therefore expensive, undertaking.
We were fortunate to be awarded money from the Town Centre Fund, administered by Aberdeen City Council, which enabled the external work to be completed. All the Kirkyard is owned by the Council, and the path past St Mary’s leads to a flight of steps up to a higher level of the Kirkyard along the northern side of the building. These steps were in a poor state of repair and the surface of the path leading to them was also quite uneven. As part of the overall work it was agreed with the Council that the steps and path would be upgraded alongside installing the wheelchair ramp. The first photographs show the situation outside the door to the chapel, the path and the steps before work started.
The area immediately outside the entrance to St Mary’s Chapel before work started. The entrance door is top left.
The steps up into the Kirkyard were in an uneven state before work started. The steps to the left led to the Chapel entrance.
The path, steps and retaining walls were lifted. This enabled attention to be given to the drain which runs underneath. New foundations were built for the steps and retaining walls before they were replaced. The same was true with the path, with drainage work installed before it was re-laid on a slight slope to eliminate the previous step up by the gate. The second group of photographs shows some of this work in progress.
The wall for the wheelchair ramp being built. This was in winter so there was a need to protect from frost using the sacking otherwise the mortar would be damaged.Where the main steps and retaining wall used to be.
We were fortunate to be awarded money from the Town Centre
Fund, administered by Aberdeen City Council, which enabled the external work to
be completed. All the Kirkyard is owned by the Council, and the path past St Mary’s
leads to a flight of steps up to a higher level of the Kirkyard along the
northern side of the building. These steps were in a poor state of repair and
the surface of the path leading to them was also quite uneven. As part of the
overall work it was agreed with the Council that the steps and path would be
upgraded alongside installing the wheelchair ramp. The first photographs show
the situation outside the door to the chapel, the path and the steps before
work started.
The path, steps and retaining walls were lifted. This enabled
attention to be given to the drain which runs underneath. New foundations were
built for the steps and retaining walls before they were replaced. The same was
true with the path, with drainage work installed before it was re-laid on a
slight slope to eliminate the previous step up by the gate. The second group of
photographs shows some of this work in progress.
It has long been the ambition of the OpenSpace Trust to
provide wheelchair access to St Mary’s Chapel. However, it was always going to
be difficult to achieve because of the changes of level involved. Externally,
there was a small step by the gate into the Kirkyard, then two steps beside the
path past the chapel entrance, then another two steps up to the entrance door.
Inside there were a further three steps up before reaching the north aisle –
but that was four steps higher than the central space of the chapel. If we add
to that the age of the building, going back to the mid-1400s, it was always going
to be a technically difficult, and therefore expensive, undertaking.
In order to comply with the recommended slopes for wheelchair access a V-shaped ramp was necessary. New granite had to be sourced which would, once weathered, blend with the existing granite of the building. The profile of the coping on these walls reflects shapes higher up the building. Around the entrance door, the old steps were removed and the sill lowered requiring a re-profiling of the doors. The third group of photographs show stages in the building of the ramp and there are some showing the finished external works.
The finished steps up into the Kirkyard and one of the retaining walls rebuilt.Looking down the ‘new’ steps to the repaved area and the wheelchair ramp to the right. The gate is out onto the top of Correction Wynd.
The chapel has already been open for visitors on two
Saturdays and will be open again between 10am and 1pm on 30th July
and 13th August, and between 10am and 4pm on 10th
September (part of Doors Open Day). It is available to hire if people are
interested – it has already hosted two meetings.
A large quantity of human remains were uncovered during the archaeological excavation in 2006. Since then they have been the subject of a great deal of study and research, some of which is ongoing. However, the aim has always been to re-inter them within the building. This is easy to write but more difficult to do, not least because of the large volume the bones occupy. It is also important that wherever they are buried it is in a place where they will not be disturbed again. Our architect was asked to draw up plans for a crypt to be built below the floor level of the lowest level of the proposed 4-storey building within the shell of the former East Kirk, in other words below the lowest levels of the dig.
We were able to obtain funding from the Town Centre Fund, a Scottish Government initiative being administered locally by Aberdeen City Council and we are very grateful to them for this. Once all permissions were obtained the contract to build the crypt was signed with CHAP Construction of Westhill. Work was scheduled to start in March 2020 – just after the beginning of the first Covid-19 lockdown. Not surprisingly it had to be postponed, finally getting underway in September 2020.
Early stages of excavation
Getting deeper
The first and slowest part of the work was the excavation of the large hole required. This was about 25 feet long and 11 feet wide and went down about 7 feet. Special machinery was needed which required a new temporary ramp to be built to give access.
The base is put in place
The walls are built
Once excavation was complete, the concrete base was made, then the walls were constructed and finally a wooden covering with access hatch and internal ladder was put in place. Work was completed in November. A number of photographs, mostly taken from the ‘viewing window’ off Drum’s Aisle, are included to show progress.
A wooden closure was made
Finished crypt – seen from the opposite end
At present none of the bones have been returned to the crypt because they all require placing into special boxes before this can be done. That will take quite a long time to process. Eventually, however, it is intended that there will be a religious ceremony to mark the laying to rest of the remains once more.
One of the most beautiful windows in St Mary’s Chapel depicts the ‘Betrothal of Mary’. The Jewish customs of two thousand years ago may seem rigid compared with what we are used to in the West today. These customs meant that the engagement was probably arranged by the parents, maybe without Mary or Joseph being consulted. There would need to be a contract, part of which would be the ‘bride price’ to be paid by the groom’s family. The contract was implemented immediately and was binding on the couple. In effect they were considered married, but what we think of as a wedding ceremony would not occur for a considerable time, sometimes up to a year, later. During their betrothal, the couple would have little contact with each other, in order to test their commitment to each other. When Mary and Joseph became engaged is not known. In their case the events of this ‘pre-consummation’ phase of their marriage certainly tested them, following Mary’s pregnancy with Jesus. The Bible tells us that Joseph was minded to break off the relationship, but was dissuaded by the Angel Gabriel.
The window was created by the Aberdeen artist Douglas Strachan in 1899 when still in his twenties. He studied at Robert Gordon’s College and Gray’s School of Art in Aberdeen before working as an illustrator on newspapers in the north of England. He was persuaded to try designing stained glass. This window in St Mary’s Chapel is his very first commission (there is a later example of his work upstairs in the former East Kirk). He was prolific in his work with stained glass all over the United Kingdom and some overseas. By 1908 he had moved to live in Edinburgh from where he worked for the rest of his life. The University of his home city awarded him an Honorary Doctorate in 1923. His largest commission was for the windows of the Scottish National War Memorial in Edinburgh Castle. He died at his home in Midlothian in 1950 at the age of 75 and is buried in the Dean Cemetery, Edinburgh. The window was restored as part of the Mither Kirk Project in 2010 following some damage due to vandalism.
In many churches, on a Sunday in early January, one of the Bible readings will have drawn attention to the baptism of Jesus by John the Baptist. That is the happening depicted here in a stained glass panel from the centre of the south-east window in the apse of St Nicholas’ Kirk. We see the Baptist pouring water on Jesus who stands in the river Jordan. The white lines above suggest the coming of the Spirit. In contrast to the birth of Jesus recounted (in quite different terms) by only two of the Gospels, all four Gospels draw attention to his baptism as the fundamental event for his mission and ministry in the world. Here his character as Son of God is declared and at the same time he is identified with sinful humanity. This is his epiphany or manifestation to the world to which the Spirit bears witness.
For Christians, their baptism marks their incorporation into the Church, often described as the Body of Christ, and testifies to the cleansing power of the love of God.
The window, erected in 1961, was the gift of, and commemorates, Charles A. Wilson, son, and successor in business of George Washington Wilson, the notable Aberdeen photographer of the Victorian era.
The maker was Gordon M. Webster, highly regarded and prolific Scottish stained glass artist of the mid 20th century. It may be of interest of some to know that, later in the century his son was for a period Professor of Architecture in the Scott Sutherland School of the Robert Gordon University.
The window was cleaned and repaired as necessary during the Phase 1 works in 2010-11 by Christian Shaw of Edinburgh.
In an earlier post (on 1st June 2104), we showed what had happened to one of the decorative bosses in the gallery of the former East Kirk when wet rot had destroyed the strength of its internal wooden structure. No-one was hurt when it crashed through the floor overnight, but there was concern about the safety of all the other decorative bosses, so they were carefully checked. One was found to be loose, so the decision was taken to carefully remove it. The first two pictures show an intact boss and a close-up of what remained after it had been removed. This was in an area which had already been treated for dry rot. On looking inside the small opening of the corbel, there was some concern that there could be some dry rot inside the plasterwork – but it was not possible to see enough to be sure. Complicating the matter was that nothing was known about the internal structure of the corbel. Obviously there would be structural wooden beams, which were supporting one of the main roof beams. If there were dry rot it could rapidly destroy the strength of the wood and so potentially cause a partial or total roof collapse.
The interior structure of the corbel
The decision had to be taken to remove all the decorative plaster from this corbel so that any necessary treatment or replacement could be carried out. However, before this could be done, it was necessary to install some scaffolding to support the roof beam, just in case the wood had already lost its strength and it was only the plaster which was supporting the roof beam. Fortunately it became obvious that there was no dry rot, which was a great relief! Removing the plaster also revealed the internal structure of the corbel. This showed only two support timbers, resting on a stone protruding from the wall. One timber was vertical (the king post), whilst the other went up at a steep angle, far more steeply than the decorative plaster work would have suggested. The final photograph shows the exposed wood inside the corbel (with the support scaffold still partially in place). All the plaster was removed carefully and kept, so that it will be possible to reinstate the corbel when the interior build takes place, either using plaster or fibreglass.
In a previous post, we showed pictures of the dramatic effect that wet rot had on the structure of one of the bosses in the former East Kirk. This was caused by water getting in through the leaking roof. We have also had problems with dry rot. The name is slightly misleading since it too has a need for an increased level of moisture, but this is lower than with wet rot. Dry rot normally thrives with 20-40% moisture.
The fungus Serpula lacrymans is the main cause of dry rot. An outbreak starts with a spore germinating when conditions are right (often about 30% moisture). This develops thread-like hyphae which are capable of finding ways through stone and mortar as well as wood. A mass of hyphae forms a mycellium, which can look like grey fur (as shown in the first photograph). Growth of the fungus in wood rapidly destroys its strength so that it may no longer be capable of load bearing in a building. Eventually the fungus will produce a ‘fruiting body’ to release more spores. The hyphae can travel considerable distance from the original spore. One of the outbreaks we have had started inside the gallery structure and was first seen two storeys lower and about 20 feet away.
Often dry rot will start when a building is starting to dry out. This has been the case with the former East Kirk building, where there have been a number of outbreaks. The fruiting bodies can appear on wood or stone, as shown in the photographs. The first one shows a fruiting body on stone (above a window in the gallery).
The second shows it on some of the 17th century carved wood in St Mary’s Chapel. The orange colour is caused by the spores ready to be released.
Treatment is possible, but the sooner the better – so constant vigilance is required where there is a known risk.
For many years there were problems with rain and snow getting under the slates on the roof of the former East Kirk of St Nicholas. Historically, the roof had a very low pitch – 18 – and when it was given a slate roof after the fire of 1874, it would have required large overlap of slates to ensure no ingress in driving rain or snow. Over the years this led to a number of problems which had to be sorted out during Phase 1 of the restoration work.
In this post the focus is on one particular area on the north side of the building. The ceiling in the former Kirk has decorative plaster works, with corbels and bosses along the walls. The first photograph shows these structures. The wood inside the boss nearest the camera was, unknown to us, being damaged by wet rot caused by water running down the inside of the wall behind the lath and plaster.
During the Phase 1 works, the wood gave way and one morning it was found through the gallery floor as shown in the second photograph. It is fortunate that this happened overnight and that no-one was underneath. We will post about the actions we had to take later in the year.
With the new roof in place the walls are now perfectly dry, but are being monitored on a weekly basis.
