We’ve recently completed a large conservation project on the roof of Saint Mary’s church in Drogheda. We are very familiar with this church having worked on many projects for the parish at this site including the extensive masonry and stone repairs in the late 1980s, and more recently in 2013, the construction of the parish office centre and car park and in 2019 repair work to the apse roof of the church.
The site came into the ownership of the parish in 1820 and the current church building is 140years old. Over time the condition of the roof had deteriorated. Slipped slates had been repaired over the years as required, some inappropriately with nails and screws driven through the slates. The clay ridge finials had also been damaged with many parts missing or broken. It was decided to re-slate the roof, re-using as many salvaged slates as possible and new Welsh and Argentinian slates to achieve the original design intent which incorporated bands in contrasting colours. Barbary Roofing completed the roof work which involved the use of specialist conservation crafts and techniques including, copper and leadwork, slating, masonry work and clay production for the terracotta ridge finials by the Nolan Group.
