A considered response to structural movement and damage to the interior of St Stephen’s Church, Westbourne Park, London W2
Abstract
St Stephen’s Church, Westbourne Park, London had suffered extensive structural movement and cracking to the interior over a long period. The source of the problem was not sufficiently understood or adequately addressed by previous repairs in 1990. Careful observation, investigation and analysis concluded that the primary source of the problem was lateral spread of the roof trusses. This action, combined with the very thin mortar joints in the internal stonework, had led to spalling of the stone and horizontal cracks in the clerestory walls of the nave. Repairs were specified to address these issues, approval sought through the process of ecclesiastical exemption, and robust remedial and preventative works carried out. This paper seeks to explain the thinking behind the process of analysis, design and specification of these works, and (while acknowledging previous works) examines the problems starting from first principles. It is intended to give the reader guidance on the assessment of unusual or long-standing structural problems and the confidence, when necessary, to propose and execute what might otherwise be considered radical interventions in a historic public building.
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Author's Biography
J. Sinclair Johnston was the founding partner/director of Sinclair Johnston & Partners Consulting Engineers and is now a consultant at successor practice Byrne Looby. Sinclair has 49 years’ experience of structural design to new and existing buildings including historic buildings, ancient monuments and conservation work. He is experienced in the preparation of expert evidence for litigation and the assessment of listed buildings for planning applications and appeals. Sinclair is a trustee of the Forest of Dean Buildings Preservation Trust and specialist structural adviser to the Diocese of London and the Diocese of Gloucester. Throughout his career, Sinclair’s clients have included the City of Westminster, Bedford Estates, Diocese of London, Lord Chancellor’s Department, Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, Barts and London NHS Trust, The Crown Estates, The Portman Estates, The Church Commissioners and numerous public and commercial organisations and private owners. He is a member of the Ecclesiastical Architects and Surveyors Association (EASA), the Pyramus and Thisbe Club for party wall surveyors and a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers and the Institution of Structural Engineers. Sinclair has lectured at Oxford, Oxford Brooks and Reading universities, and to the RICS, the SPAB and the Diocese of Gloucester and Chichester. He is a member of the Design Review Panel of the Georgian Group and has appeared on BBC London News and Sky News with opinions on structural failures. He is a CARE-accredited conservation engineer.
Citation
Johnston, J. Sinclair (2019, December 1). A considered response to structural movement and damage to the interior of St Stephen’s Church, Westbourne Park, London W2. In the Journal of Building Survey, Appraisal & Valuation, Volume 8, Issue 3. https://doi.org/10.69554/XWTH7095.
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