NEWS
After considerable investigation and planning, maintenance work to repair the spire of Scots Presbyterian Church in Lydiard St North has recently been carried out. Over time (Scots Church is now 134 years old) the gutter at the base of the spire and the top of the brick tower, which collects rainwater from the spire, has deteriorated. This has led to water damaging the timbers at the base of the spire and the spire developing a lean to the north.
The repairs have involved:
- fitting a reinforcing ring near the base of the spire.
- jacking the spire back to vertical and replacing any deteriorated timbers.
- installing a new copper gutter.
- checking the whole spire and carrying out repairs where necessary.
A remaining task is to reinstate the cross on the top of the spire.
These works should ensure that the Scots Church spire will continue to be a prominent feature on the Ballarat skyline for many years.
Scots Church has been fortunate to have obtained the professional services of Gestalt Engineers of Ballarat and Spire Australia of Melbourne to plan and carry out these works.