This is the largest church in Devon and is listed Grade I. The project was to repair the tower which dates from 1460, having been funded by Thomas Yogge, a wealthy Plymouth Merchant. A remarkable donation given the approximately 42m height of the tower! The Church was badly damaged in the Blitz but restored afterwards.
Having acted as Church Architect for many years, the team at Le Page Architects have undertaken many previous projects at this Church. This project started and completed in the 2020 pandemic, starting on site as COVID-19 restrictions for sites were only just being devised and understood. Repairs were pre-assessed using a specialist rope access team and were carried out on site much as expected. In addition, a team of conservators undertook essential conservation work to the statues in the north and south niches. The largest challenge encountered was the repair to the 12 pinnacles which have lead finials each the size of a large football and in the post war repair, filled with concrete. These could only be assessed from the 20th lift of the scaffold and many were found to have split and several were in imminent danger of falling onto the pavement below had they been left. Working with Westcountry Stonemasons the project completed on time and within budget despite the complications of 2020.
