All Saints Thurlestone is a beautiful Grade II* listed church on the South Devon Coast; the church dates from C13 with major rebuilding in C15, a repair in 1685 and restored in 1904. It’s stunning location, however is very exposed and over the centuries the tower stonework had become extremely eroded. Le Page Architects undertook a series of trials over several months to try and match the local stone as closely as possible and also to establish the most appropriate mortar with the closest match possible to the original. The stone used in the extensive programme of repairs came from a local farm from within sight of the church. Challenges arose in coping with the level of erosion of the stone and the line to follow with the repairs, and also with the outer parapet stones which on closer access were found to be made up from thick layers of render. In addition to extensive stone repair, the complete tower was repointed and the clock face renovated to leave the tower in a sound state for many years to come.
