Day 39 - Roof Structure - Purlins and Principal Rafter

Week 8 - Day 39

At end of the week we are preparing drawings to record the roof structure.

There is a lot of interest, but an unusual detail is the arrangement of the Purlins to the Principal Rafters, the basic skeleton of the roof structure that hold the roof together and support the slates.

The Purlins are the horizontal timbers that link between the Principal Rafters, there are many different ways that fasten the elements together, in the case of George Street Chapel a tusked tenon was used.

The diagam shows how the pattern of Purlins locks together the Principal Rafters.

The trusses run across the chapel supported on the outside walls.
Each truss comprises a Tie beam, Principal Rafter, Collar and King Post.
The Purlins run the length of the chapel between the Trusses.
A tenon at the end of each Purlin passes through the Principal Rafter
and is locked in place by a wedge.

Underside of the Principal Rafter with a Purlin connected to it from each side.
A tenon projects through a mortice hole and is locked in place with a wedge -
commonly called a tusked tenon. 

The top face of the Principal Rafter and two Purlins.

The side view from slightly below showing a tusked tenon with locking wedge -
this is the protruding tenon of the Purling from the other side of the
Principal Rafter.
that joins the Principal Rafters.

Day 38 - Window Repairs

Week 8 - Day 38
The windows are now being cleaned up ready for re-painting.

Paint stripper being used to clean off the old paint from
 the windows of George Street Chapel.

Day 37 - Roof Construction Diagram

Week 8 - Day 37
Whilst the painters get on with refurbishing the windows we can consider how the roof was constructed.
All these details have been hidden between the slates, roofing felt and a lath and plaster ceiling, but we can begin to dissect the original design and later alterations. As part of the rebuilding we have decisions to make, such as whether to re-introduce a stone gutter on the George Street elevation.
Most of this detail will be lost to view again as the lath and plaster is replaced around the beams and to re-,make the ceiling.

Day 36 - Gutters

Week 8 - Day 36
Today a template was offered up alongside the surviving stone gutter on the rear elevation facing Jackson Pit. On the front elevation, facing George Street the original stone gutter has been removed in the past. To extend the re-roofed slates an extension to the rafters has been nailed on to each one to carry the slates to an iron gutter carried on a timber boxed in sofit.

A timber template between two of the original stone gutters
on rear elevation of George Street Chapel.

The profile of the stone gutter changes along its length. with a downspout only at one end more water drains into the gutter as it is caught by the slate roof. This profile is insufficient to carry all the water and  used to spill water onto the brick wall. So, the new gutter is to be made that can hold more water.

Virtually no gully cut into the gutter at the start of it run.

About the mid-point of the stone gutter.
See how it is cut around one of the roof trusses.

The deep profile at the end of the gutter.
The gutter had a lead sheet covering to carry the rain water - see next image.

The lead lining to the stone gutter on the rear elevation of George Street Chapel.

The next two images show how the front elevation has been changed to hang a more modern gutter from a wooded soffit.

The original rafters have been extended with new timbers to carry new slates
to a modern gutter on the George Street elevation of the chapel.
The original stone gutter would have sat at the end of the rafters.
Viewed from the north.

The new bricks show where the original stone gutter might have spilled water
to a drainpipe.
The new timbers extending the rafters can be seen.
Viewed from the south.

Day 35 - Cavity Wall

Week 7 - Day 35
The inner bricks started to be cleaned off and the loose ones removed so they can be rebuilt before the wall is re-plastered. The cavity wall construction can be seen as the inner skin of bricks are removed. Sections of the wall have been re-built before. You can see the concrete block over the window, which replaces the original timber one.

FOGS Study Day Cancelled for 2nd Time

Our Friends of George Street Study Day has had to be cancelled for a second time - again for snow.
We are located in yet another Amber Alert by the Met Office for heavy snow. It started last night and is to continue into Saturday. A new date is to be set for April.

Day 34 - Removing the Gallery Fronts

Week 7 - Day 34
The Gallery fronts are being removed. These are modern replacements of the originals. The materials are of poor quality and we will replace with a proper replica that more closely resembles the original.

The Gallery fronts are being removed at George Street Chapel.

Day 33 - The Roof Structures - Carpenters Marks

Week 7 - Day 33
With all the dirt and dust being vacuum away, and all the slates and ceiling laths and plaster removed we can get close up to all the details of how the roof of George Street Chapel was put together and built.

Timber merchant marks on the purlins of George Street Chapel, Oldham

2nd set of carpenters scribed marks 

3rd set of carpenters scribed marks

Day 32 - Inside the Roof Space

Week 7 - Day 32
With the ceiling removed and the slates off we can look at details in the upper roof space.

Detail just below the chimney on the south wall.
The vertical stone flags line the inner side of the chimney were the flues rise from
a fireplace which is located on the main chapel floor.

The chimney stack for this chimney was blocked in the past.
It served the flue from a kitchen range in the middle cellar dwelling. 

Detail of the flue from the kitchen range in the middle cellar dwelling. 

The inner side of the lath and plaster at the high end of the chapel,
where the ceiling was lower over the pulpit and organ. 

Day 31 - Cleaning Finds - Cleaning Chapel

Toady was a cleaning up day. Washing the finds that were found in the cellar last Friday, and cleaning up in the chapel after all the lath and plaster had been removed last week.

Green bottle with writing for
TAYLOR (& LEES)
OLDHAM

Looking through the rafters and purlings
from one roof light to another.

FOGS Study Day - 23 March

We have rescheduled the Study Day we had to cancel in January because of the snow to Saturday 23 March. Same agenda as last time. Start at 12.30 at Age UK Oldham, Church Lane.
The purpose of the session is to review all the information we have and to identify tasks that need to be done to fill in any gaps we might have. So, if you have any information you are willing to share, or want to help us gather more information about the Chapel, the cellar dwellings, the Sunday School or George Street please come along.

AGENDA

To pull together information on the following topics and draft a work programme to fill in gaps.

1. Independent Methodism and the Nields

2. The chapel as a building

3. Those who lived in the cellar dwellings

4. The local area of George Street

5. Organisations who used the chapel - Boys Brigade, Temperance etc

6. The restoration works programme

7. Itinary for trips FOGS members could make 

- to other chapel projects;

- Organ restoration to see David Wood, Huddersfield etc

Boys Brigade

Community Development Officer, Maggie Hurley, received this photograph of the younger members of the Boys Brigade, the Life Boys, taken in 1949. The photograph was taken in the yard behind the George Street Sunday School.

George Street Chapel Boys Brigade

Day 30 - Some Small Finds

Week 6 - Day 30
We collected some pieces of pottery, glass and clay pipe stems today. Some broken bits and pieces in the fill around the wall footings and the infill below the stone floor. Only a small number of pieces possibly for two reasons - 1. Oldham had not become the large city it now is and the chapel was being constructed on the edge of the town, creeping out into the countryside - and 2. the previous owner had inserted large footings underneath brick pillars he inserted to support the main chapel floor, because he wanted an open-plan area in the cellar, so had removed the walls that divided the cellar up into individual rooms!
Photographs of the pottery and glass will be posted when they have been washed
A second sandstone roof flag was also found in the void between the roof slates and the lath and plaster ceiling.

Some small finds of glass, pottery and clay pipe stems
found in deposits underneath the stone floor
at George Street Chapel, Oldham.

The two sandstone roof flags.
The left one is heavily sooted and a redder coloured stone
also seems to be laminating.

Day 29 - From the Outside Looking In

Week 6 - Day 29
With the roof tiles, felt and inner lath and plaster ceiling removed we can start to look through to the chapel inside.

New sections of rafters inserted when the roof was repaired.
Note remains of a brick chimney. 

Looking into George Street Chapel through the roof.

Day 28 - Old Sandstone Roof Flag Found

Week 6 - Day 28
Picked out from between the present-day slate roof and the lath and plaster ceiling was a sandstone roof flag. Possibly one of the original roofing flags? It had a wooden peg holding it to the roof.

Sandstone roof flag.
From the first roof at George Street Chapel?

Detail of sandstone roof flag at George Street Chapel

Day 27 - Rocks in the Cellar

Week 6 - Day 27
The sand, ash and cinders have started to be removed. Because of the congestion around the chapel this work is taking place outside of normal work hours to enable the skips to arrive and leave as they are filled. Only the sand above a plastic membrane layer has been seen so far, so it was a surprise to find large rocks buried underneath.

Working our way through the sandy / ash material on which the stone slabs
had been bedded on a thin mortar layer.

Large rocks in the lower deposits below the cellar floor.

Day 26 - Skips

Week 6 - Day 26
A bitter cold day today. Snow in the air.
Skips to be filed and taken away with sand used to infill the cellar.This needs to be reduced by 60 cm so that the under floor heating can be fitted.

Lots of skips needed to remove all the debris
wall plaster, roof and the cellar

Day 25 - Removal of Felt

Week 5 - Day 25
Roofing felt removed today.
The rafters can now be see, and all the dirt and dust needs to be cleaned out before the lath and plaster ceiling is taken down. Rain forecast with a possibility of some more snow - thank goodness for our temporary roof which covers everything from the elements.

Day 24 - Architects and Contractors Progress Meeting

Week 5 - Day 24
The first progress meeting was held this morning with architects, structural engineer, QS, builders, HLF and AgeUK Oldham.
Meanwhile on site work carried on to repair the windows. De-glazing taking place over the next few days. Also investigations to the supporting brick pillars in the cellar and the pointing on the outside walls as well as the removal of all the roofing slates. The slates are very thin and the nails have become loose. The schedule of works includes the provision for new felt and slates in correct period slates to give the roof a chance for another 200 life.

John Prichard explains work to refurbish windows
on the temporary floor in the roof of George Street Chapel.

Carefully removing slates.

All slates removed from the rear side of the roof at George Street Chapel.

Day 23 - Ladder to Temporary Floor in the Roof

Week 5 - Day 23
The scaffolders completed access to the new temporary floor in the roof.
This is currently being used to work on refurbishing the windows, but will later allow work to proceed on the ceiling, the roof trusses and the roof itself.

Ladder to the temporary floor in the roof of George Street Chapel. 

Windows removed earlier being worked on on the temporary floor
 in the roof of George Street Chapel.

Day 22 - Original Floor Uncovered

Week 5 - Day 22
The original floor boarding to the chapel floor has been uncovered. The wide boarding had been covered over by maple slats which had a shiny golden colour, out of keeping with the rest of the chapel. The original boards can now be assessed for cleaning and to see if they can be reused.

Recent maple flooring nailed over the top of the original wide floor boards.

Detail of the original wide floor bards at George Street Chapel.

Day 21 - Completion of Enclosure around Chapel

Week 5 - Day 21
The envelope that will protect George Street Chapel was completed today. This will allow work to continue even during bad weather whilst the slates and lath and plaster ceiling are removed and then rebuilt.
This photo was taken from the top floor of Spindles car park.

George Street Chapel completely enclosed
to protect the chapel from the weather once the roof is dismantled.

Day 20 - Storing the Stone Floor from the Cellar

Week 4 - Day 20
The cellar is now clear of all wall plaster, partitioning, toilets and stone floor. All ready for work to start on the internal groundworks on Monday morning.

There are a lot of slabs to remove from the cellar dwellings
underneath George Street Chapel.

Removing the stone slabs from George Street Chapel cellar dwellings.
taken away for safe keeping until the ground works have been completed
and they can be brought back again.