In my local village of Steventon I am lucky to have the Church of St Nicholas where Jane Austen’s father was the rector and where she worshipped.  It’s always fascinating to peel back the layers of an old building, no more so than here where I act as consultant and conservator. Dating back to the 12th Century, the church continues to reveal its secrets, most recently in Anne Ballantyne’s stunning restoration of the early Victorian murals on the Chancel Arch, previously covered in a lime distemper. 

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As has happened with St Nicholas, over the years many old buildings are repaired using the wrong materials.  Here a cementitious mortar was used to render the exterior, reducing the ability of the building to evaporate and circulate the moisture that's produced inside. This has lead to damp and cracking in the walls, with the resulting need to embark upon the church’s next major restoration - the removal of much of the old render, the filling of cracks, re-rendering in hydraulic lime and then re-decorating the interior.  There will also be accompanying more minor work to the roof, the restoration of some of the stained glass and the installation of new interior lighting sympathetic to the fabric of the building.