You may recall that last year we held a collection for the Kendal Unitarians Schoolroom Roof Appeal. John Campbell has written to us with an update:

“I am writing to as many people as I can who have given to the Schoolroom Restoration Appeal at Kendal Unitarian Chapel in Cumbria to let you know how we are getting on.

The ceiling fell over three years ago on 6 November 2022 and there was an initial flurry of activity with surveys, investigations, finding the right craftsmen and so on. Then we were held up for many months by the council’s Conservation Department, which put back all our plans. At last work has begun. Much of it is preliminary work, such as removing all the lighting and heating units that were suspended from the ceiling and stripping the end of the roof to make further investigations of the end gable wall. The wall is timetabled to be partly taken down on Monday 16 March 2026 and to be rebuilt by the end of the month. It appears that this wall, which was leaning outwards over an adjacent flat roof, was in part the cause of a general weakness in the roof and thus the ceiling. Internal work done on the ceiling thirty years ago had not uncovered this problem.

Once the end wall has been made stable, which will involve rebuilding in part, the entire roof can be stripped off and the building reroofed, using most of the original slates. Most of the light in the Schoolroom comes from above, through outer glass panels in the roof and then inner glass panels, coloured and etched, in the ceiling. Some of the outer glass has slipped, allowing rain to enter and so this will all be put back and secured. At the same time provision will be made for solar panels to be attached, probably at a later date.

With a new roof in position and the building tight against the weather, it will be possible to demolish and rebuild the ceiling in all its original glory. At the same time it will be possible to restore missing panes of the coloured and etched glass.

How long will all this take? We hope that it will be possible to complete the works by the end of the year. This depends on our securing all the funds and so it may be necessary to stage it. Recently we have opened an untenanted shop in Finkle Street as a drop-in place, “The Space”, so that we still have a community presence in the heart of the town. It has created a lot of interest and is beginning to be well known and used.

I shall write further as work progresses! Best wishes to you all,

John Campbell,
Trustee and treasurer.

PS. I am aware that many people have given generously, for whom I have no email address: individuals, visitors, chapels, choirs. I hope that they know nonetheless how much we appreciate their help.