Staff at Winchester cathedral held their breath as 27 tonnes of metal were crane lifted onto it’s roof today.
This is part of a £20.5m restoration. One of the largest cranes in the UK was extended over the Norman cathedral prepared to lift the initial arch weighing in at 5 tonnes.
The idea is to provide a temporary cover whilst 40 workers remove the lead roofing which is broken and leaking. This will then be melted down off site and recast to last for another 150 years.
Archaeologists have even found 19th century graffiti in the Presbytery vault and expect to find more when the roofing begins.
“This is something you’re not going to see again” said Tony Paris, of Christchurch Road. “I think it’s fantastic.”
The £4m roof works come as part of a massive conservation project which will restore the 16 century timber vault, stonework and new buildings in the cathedral grounds.
Main source of information credited to ‘The Daily Echo’
