Maidstone Cemetery Chapel, Maidstone

Vital restoration, structural and refurbishment works to the Grade II listed Maidstone Cemetery Chapel

01

Context & Planning

Maidstone Cemetery Chapel was originally built in 1858 but, after a series of structural surveys 16-years ago, the decision was made to close the doors for concerns of staff and visitor safety, with the last service held in January 2006. The aim of this project was to restore the Chapel both inside and out so that the Bereavement Services Team at Maidstone Borough Council could open its doors once again, allowing the chapel to be used as originally intended. Bauvill’s scope of works for the project was to complete:

Structural repairs to bell tower
Roof refurbishment
Repairs to gutters and down pipes
Internal refurbishment
Conversion of external stores into 2no WC’s
Refurbishment of 1no existing WC

02

Major Works

Whilst working on listed buildings and completing their restorations can be rewarding, it does bring its challenges. At a glance, it was known there would be specialist works involved, but the extent was still unknown until thorough inspections were made. This proved a challenge for Bauvill, as we did not know the scope of repairs until sub-contractors were found, surveys were made, prices were quoted and orders placed. As well as facing potential setbacks in the programme due to the process. Specialised works for the job included:

Lime plaster repairs to internal chapel walls - due to the size of area where the plaster was required, the drying time was around 3 months, setting back any decoration works to those areas.
Timber and damp repairs to beams within chapel - similar to the lime plaster, the timber and damp repairs had drying times, however this has a shorter impact on the programme.
External stonework cleaning and repairs - when the first inspection by the specialists were made there was a certain amount of stones and indents that needed replacing and some elevations needed a clean. The stones had a 10 week lead time once moulds had been made. Once cleaning had been completed, more damaged stone areas were identified requiring additional procurement and lead times..

03

Completion

Bauvill were able to overcome the setbacks and programme changes through our relationship with both sub-contractors and Maidstone Borough Council. We were able to move works around to get areas completed, or at least started, whilst we waited for plaster to dry or stones to be delivered. Close communication channels between all parties ensured decisions were made quickly and efficiently to allow the smooth running of the project, ultimately to deliver a first class product that gives back to the community and delivers on the client's original specification.