Drumkeeran Church Renovations
Week 8
Starting Monday, 27 July.
(View Progress for Other Weeks)
Monday and Tuesday
Work on slating the main roof nears completion.
This part of the roof is designed as one half of a hexagonal pyramid. It has three
triangular shaped sides.
Cutting the slates to fit these triangles is a slow and tricky
process.
And inside the church…..
Work on cleaning the stained glass windows has begun.
The glass, the lead tracery
and the saddle bars are cleaned.
The saddle bars will be painted to protect them from
rust.
Over the years a layer of dirt and grime has built up on the glass.
This deposit of
dirt and grime has to be gently scraped off
and then the glass is cleaned and polished.
The wood panels around the entrance lobby at the side door have been completed.
Much of the brass work in the church has become tarnished and is in need of restoration.
For
example, the brass fronts of the tabernacle doors have been removed for cleaning
and polishing.
Likewise for the sanctuary lamp holder, the Paschal Candle stand, the
Mass bell
and many of the altar candle sticks.
Thursday and Friday
As mentioned above, work on the triangular surfaces of the roof is slow
because so
many slates have to be individually cut to fit these awkward shapes.
This plastic fitting underneath the slates allows for proper ventilation.
A guide-
Each individual
slate here has had to be cut for precise fitting.
The view from the Drumrewey Road.
On Friday, the men had to work in quite inclement weather conditions.