Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral ‘Close To Collapse’

The 17th century tower of the Portsmouth Anglican Cathedral was on the verge of collapsing because of rotting ancient wood inside casings of concrete and steel.

According to the BBC, concrete repairs have almost neared completion after five months of work and government investment to the tune of £681,000 from the First World War Centenary Cathedral Repair Fund. Restoration workers apparently described the timbers they discovered on site as literally having “turned to powder”.

David Collier, project manager, said: “My engineer put his thumb on one timber to test it and his thumb went through the steel. We think the problems arose from repair work carried out a century ago.”

Work first began back in January to dig down from the top of the tower, reconsolidate the masonry and insert steel props. It’s thought that the work on the cathedral will be finished come the end of June and the Golden Barque, the gilded weather vane, has now been restored to the top of the tower after being removed late last year and recoated in gold leaf.

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We initially started off as specialists in bridge components and post-tensioning but have expanded successfully into repair, protection and strengthening of structures, specialising in diagnostic surveys, bridge bearings, refurbishment and repairs.