WallWalkers

22/05/2023

Our social pages and website blog has been on the back burner for quite a while, with so much work on and little time to share it.

This is worth a quick mention, however, as apparently we are in the papers again!

4 news papers, a few radio and TV spots. Possibly more to come..!

We were in Cambridge last week, surveying a huge church steeple.

Amazing photos taken by James Linsell-Clark

03/11/2020

It's that time again!

We are back on Norwich Cathedral Spire to see the completion of the remainder of our contract.

We are chopping out the stone work to remove the embedded iron cramps.

Iron was thought to be a good material for bridging the joints of stonework, to prevent them from shifting and become unstable.

Unfortunately, they were wrong. Iron is a ferrous metal, meaning it reacts with water and oxygen and rusts.

This rust expands and starts to push the stonework away, cracking and dislodging the front of the stone. This often falls to ground in large pieces.

Our works include chopping out eight iron cramps on the spire, replacing with matching stainless steel units so not to rust, and installing a section of stone to the front of this to match the existing historic fabric.

Final stages are to paint the weathervane at the very top with rust-inhibiting paint, and install new glass pane louvres where they are missing.

23/09/2020

An update and photographic reportage on our latest work at the awe-inspiring Cathedral in Norwich:

We removed the golden weathercock that sits on top of Norwich Cathedral’s centuries-old spire to be re-gilded as part of a wider restoration project. It is thought it is the first time since 1963 that the weathercock has been brought down to ground level.

Re-gilding the weathercock has been as enjoyable as it was challenging. Wearing its 350 years of age on its sleeve, we needed to apply multiple layers of the micron-thick gold leaf to fill all nooks and crannies. Suffice to say, the result was worth the effort.

After we completed the gilding, we wrapped it in foam and placed it in a custom timber frame ready to haul up the spire. As you can see from the photos sometimes thinking inside the box works best!

We then started our ascent to the top of the spire in the safest way possible, to avoid any damage to the weathercock while abseiling.

Once we were in place at the top, we needed to attach the cockerel to our timber crane and detach it from the haul ropes.

Lots of intricate rigging was required here to ensure the cockerel would not rub against the surfaces and would have free movement through the pulley, whilst still being able to unwrap the padding once in place.

As you can see from the photos we were so satisfied to successfully complete the task, and we really appreciate the support and the enthusiasm everyone showed us while carrying out this work.

Photos: Chris Skipper

Read more about it here:
https://www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-09-17/norwich-cathedral-weathercock-shines-bright-again-after-restoration-project

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-norfolk-54202818

07/08/2020

One of our favourite sites to work on is Warwick Castle, and for good reason.

Spend a day there exploring the incredible building, learning of its winding history and taking in the breathtaking views of the amazing surroundings, you'll instantly be hooked.

Here is a quick snap during our annual visit to the castle, taken this year.

Each year, we remove vegetation and loose masonry, repair gutters and failing leadwork, and generally keep our (bird's) eye on the castle as it continues to wow the public.

We thoroughly recommend booking a visit here on one of our hazy summer days!

05/08/2020

This week, you may have heard us on the radio, seen us on the television or read about us in the paper.

Though our social media accounts have been somewhat quiet since the Covid-19 outbreak, we have been very busy as a company and blessed with a multitude of wonderful projects.

One such project is that of the spire repair works to Norwich Cathedral, which began this week.

At 96 metres, Norwich Cathedral is home to the second tallest steeple in the United Kingdom, topped only by that of Salisbury Cathedral.

We're set carry out a variety of works on the spire, including:
- Regilding the weather cockerel in gold leaf
- Repairing/painting the weathervane cross
- Replacing loose and failing mortar
- Pinning and stabilising loose stone
- Replacing stone sections with new, where needed
- Replacing rusting iron cramps with stainless steel units

This initial visit was in advance of the main works, in order to gain access to the top of the steeple and to ascertain the possibility of removing the cockerel to bring to ground.

When stood at the top of the spire, the cockerel sits high above one's head, just within reach of outstretched arms.

Being that the cockerel is perched on the main rod of the weathervane, it then needs to be raised a further few feet to remove it from the vertical 'spike'.

Given our findings, we can now develop a system to achieve this end, and shall be returning shortly to put it in to action.

View the ITV article here, which features some excellent footage of our initial ascent.

If you need a check if the 900-year-old Norwich Cathedral spire needs restoration of repairs you need to send someone up there to check it.

28/03/2020

The Covid-19 outbreak has seen many changes to our personal & professional lives.

WallWalkers is committed to exemplary health and safety standards, of which extend far beyond our rope access methods and on-site works, ensuring the well-being throughout all aspects of our working relationship, for our site team, clients, suppliers and staff.

To help stifle the spread of the virus, we are now only accepting works of the utmost emergency.

This must be short term (maximum 2 days) and allow for complete isolation due to the nature/location of the works and various control factors we can implement.
These works will be very select; we will assess the degree of the emergency and respond only to those that justify the call out.
An example: a task we carried out yesterday saw the removal of a one meter tall stone section from a church tower spirelet, weighing upwards of 60kg and of which had severed from its base, leaning precariously against the tower wall and sure plunge 20 meters on to the public footpath below.

In addition to streamlining only the most necessary of works, we have also moved all computer systems to the homes of our staff, so that they may continue to work in complete isolation.

The situation may change for the better, it may change or the worse, but the safety of our professional family, our clients and the public remains paramount.

WallWalkers may change the above protocol so that we keep in alignment with the latest government guidelines.

My best wishes to all who read. Please stay safe.

Director
WallWalkers Ltd

25/02/2020

In the recent months, we've been repairing the fabric of this wonderful church tower in Gloucestershire. Works have included:

- Removal, resin-pinning and re-bedding of all castellations
- Stone fracture repairs
- Lead spout reinforcement and repairs
- Removal of loose material
- 100% raking out and replacement of lime mortar to the parapet walls both internally and externally.

Wooden frames were created to position the team while protecting the thin parapet walls from any pressure or leverage the ropes would otherwise cause.

The wind and rain has staved us off these past weeks, however we're now on the home straight, with lead weathering installations to the cornice underway, followed by wooden door replacement and flagpole stabilisation.

New blog post with project photos will be coming soon!

26/11/2019

The itsy bitsy spiders are hiding from the rain!

We're enjoying the comfort of the warm indoors today, accessing the failing plasterworks of this Church in Highbury, London, to explore the cause of failure and install temporary repairs whilst more robust works are arranged. All without a scaffolding or mobile platform in site!

05/11/2019

Yesterday we netted the louvre windows of this little church in Exeter. Pesky birds have made their winter home in the voids. It’s time to move them on before water gets clogged behind the nests!

02/10/2019

With summer officially behind us, we are ready to embrace a new season of work. The cold rainy period we face has two key affects on older buildings:

- Freeze thaw weathering; where water enters the stone and mortar and freezes/expands, breaking off the section it absorbed in to and leaving ledges and voids for more water to sit and enter

- Blocked gutters, causing water ingress in to the building, typically from autumn lead fall. This causes water to overflow and enter the building. Whilst at roof level, it’s advisable that a roof condition survey is carried out, like the one we’ve just completed in Soho Square, where slipped slates/failing roof areas are repaired to make the roof water tight and protect the battens, felts and boards beneath.

Mitigating the issues in advance is key. To wait to see what happens will likely cause far greater damage than if it was repaired in advance. We therefor advise the planning and actioning of your external repair works as soon as possible.

21/08/2019

There’s no feeling like the completion of a long and demanding project. For the past three months, this central London hotel has seen our operatives carry out the complete renewal of all external paintworks, making the already-stunning building stand all the more confidently for many years to come!