The church of St. Nicholas is a Grade II listed building in Hollym, East Riding of Yorkshire. The early 19th century tower was showing signs of deterioration which required attention and repairs undertaken. Stone Technical Services Group Ltd were employed to complete the following repairs:
• The four timber louvres on the tower had deteriorated due to age and lack of regular maintenance. All timbers were removed and replaced with new sapele hardwood and OSMO 420 protection oil wood treatment was applied to ensure longevity. The metallic mesh behind each aperture had corroded and was replaced with stainless steel mesh.
• The mortar to the upper half of the south tower elevation was showing signs of deterioration. The joints were raked out and re-pointed using an appropriate lime mortar mix.
• Capping stones to the parapet wall were showing signs of deterioration and required restoration repairs. Additionally, several open joints were apparent to the capping stone joints and internal leaf brickwork, all open/failed joints were raked out and re-pointing using the appropriate lime mortar mix.
• The lower string course to the south elevation was experiencing heavy deterioration and required a new stone indent.
• The original lead gutter outlet was no longer fit for purpose. A more sufficient outlet was handcrafted and installed to ensure good water displacement away from the building.
The repairs to the tower were carried out using specialised rope access techniques.