The Project
The Background
The Decision
The Work of Restoration
The Appeal
Our Sponsors
Preliminary Work
Work Begins
Topping Out Ceremony
Mass with-in Tent
The Gilded Tester
Thanksgiving for the Restoration
The Church Times
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The ProjectIf you have been reading through the other pages on this website dedicated to the Church of St Michael and All Angels in Inverness, you will realise that this is a very special little church. The title that we have gained over the years as St Michael's is a real gem! |
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We have a beautiful little church - as you will have seen if you have visited us or taken our Virtual Tour - but like all historic buildings restoration work has to be done from time to time. There were no major problems other than the fact - major enough! - that we suffered several outbreaks of dry rot which were caused by water seeping unseen into the walls of the church because of the method used to catch and remove the rain water coming off the church roof. From the steep pitched roof rain water was collected in a rectangular section set into the stonework on the top of the church walls, then carried by lead pipes through the stonework into the cast iron down pipes outside. Much of this was impossible to inspect, and because the inside of the church at that point is wood paneled, problems caused by leaking water were not always found in time! The major part of the restoration work will solve this problem. |
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The Background
In the winter of 1997 Bishop Gregor MacGregor, who was Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness from 1994-98, expressed concerns about the structural condition of St Michael's and commissioned a survey of the church building by the Diocesan architect. During the week before Christmas 1997 the Bishop met with the Vestry, and produced the detailed report which detailed repairs costing £38,000. The Bishop insisted that "if the building were to continue safely in use all the recommended work would have to be done immediately".
The Vestry's interpretation of the report was different. They observed that the architect's report divided the work into "urgent" - a small amount of work to be done immediately (work which the Vestry had already carried out); "desirable" - which work should be done over the next 12 months; and "recommended" - work should be done when funds became available.
The Bishop continued to insist that all the work must be done immediately and then went on to explain that the Trustees - the Bishop, Dean, Chancellor and Registrar - had discussed the matter in full and had decided that "there was no alternative ... the Church of St Michael and All Angels must close.
He then presented the Vestry with a "statement" which had to be read to the congregation on the following Sunday, announcing the closure. Members of the Vestry were stunned into silence! |
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After taking advice from many sources, the Vestry unanimously decided not to follow the Bishop's advice. With the help and encouragement of many groups and individuals throughout the UK they decided to launch an Appeal - not just for the £38,000 work of the report commissioned by the Bishop - but for a Total Restoration of St Michael's, inside and outside . . . from the foundations to the top of the spire!
They immediately sought professional advice and were assured that only a small amount of work was absolutely necessary. This was done immediately and paid for out of our reserves. The Vestry then began the serious work. A professional Fundraiser was appointed - Mr David Paterson from Forres - and the flurry of work to raise funds began in earnest.
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They immediately sought professional advice and were assured that only a small amount of work was absolutely necessary. This was done immediately and paid for out of reserves. The Vestry then began the serious work. A professional Fundraiser was appointed - David Paterson from Forres - and the flurry of work which has taken three years began in earnest. Bishop Gregor MacGregor, who never felt able to give his support to the project, retired in 1998 and his successor, Bishop John Crook offered not just his full support, but his personal encouragement and backing, and that of the Diocese, to the Vestry of St Michael's in their task of restoring the church. (Bishop Crook was a former Rector of St Michael and All Angels!) |
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The Work of RestorationThe Total Restoration of the Church of St Michael and All Angels will include the following work:
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The AppealWe were most fortunate that the Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust expressed great interest in the project very early on in the Appeal and named St Michael and All Angels as one of two "Churches of Special interest in Scotland" in their 1998 Annual Report. They recognised the importance of the role of Sir Ninian Comper in reshaping St Michael's in the early 1900's. Grants received from them allowed for some work to proceed immediately. The Foundation For Sport and the Arts, one of the National Lottery Funds, made a substantial grant towards the Restoration of the Church Organ. The restoration of the pipe organ was completed in the autumn of 2000. |
We were also most fortunate that again, early on in the project, Historic Scotland saw the importance of St Michael's as a building of extra special interest, again because of the Comper influence. Their process of inspection, producing reports, reporting to meetings, discussions with other bodies - all part of the process of being considered for a grant - was indeed lengthy ... but a great deal of prayer and patience was, in the end, rewarded!
In December 2001 Historic Scotland announced that the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland were awarding a grant of £71,800. The same week, the Heritage Lottery Fund also announced the award of a grant of £162,000. This was a wonderful Christmas present this was for St Michael's! But by the end of 2001 the cost of the work had increased to a total project cost of £316,352.
The Vestry were initially more than a little concerned about the increase, but the confidence of our Fundraiser, followed by the grants received in December 2001 soon dispelled any fears! Other grants which were received from other organisations and trusts are listed below. |
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Our Sponsors
Historic Scotland The Heritage Lottery Fund The Scottish Churches Architectural Heritage Trust
The Foundation For Sport and the Arts The Highland Council The Dalrymple Donaldson Trust
The Jill Franklin Trust The All Churches Trust The Culra Trust
The Capol Trust The Carpenter Trust The Hector Gordon Russell Trust
The Landfill Tax Fund The Lesley David Trust
The Congregation of St Michael and All Angels have also been busy raising
funds for the project, supported by many Friends throughout the world.
The Vestry and Members of St Michael's are most grateful to each and every one of the trusts who have considered St Michael and All Angels worthy of consideration for grant assistance! The total amount received (or promised) in grants and raised by the congregation now totals £299,984 leaving a shortfall of £16,984. |
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Preliminary WorkDecember 1999The Church Bell had been silent for a number of years and the Vestry, in the early days of the Appeal, were determined that the bell should ring in the New Millennium - when ever that actually was (2000 or 2001 ?!?). This was to be a sign of their optimism. Using funds from some of the first grants they received, they set about doing some repair work in the Bell Tower. A massive crane was hired and a member of the Vestry - Donald MacRae - took to the skies in a 'seat' swinging from the crane's rope. Donald is a skilled local contractor, so we knew the work was in good hands. He also fitted a new bell rope and the Bell did ring in the New Year of 2000 and 2001 ... and the New Millennium! |
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June 2000
The architect decided that some work had to be done on the Roof of the Parish Hall. This, along with the repointing of the Boiler House chimney was agreed with Historic Scotland, and the work proceeded.
September 2000
The Restoration of the Church Organ brought great delight to everyone at St Michael and All Angels. The work took two months and was undertaken by Paul Miller, Organ Builder, of Cumberland, near Glasgow, and involved the replacement of all the leather-work. The organ was dismantled and taken to his workshops where it remained for seven weeks. The result is excellent ... we have a wonderful sweet-sounding organ once again, ideal for the accompaniment of liturgical worship ... especiall the plainsong, for which the organ was designed to accompany. We are most grateful to the Foundation For Sport and the Arts who were the major funders of this work.
December 2001Historic Scotland announced that the Historic Buildings Council for Scotland were awarding a grant of £71,800 . . . and the Heritage Lottery Fund also announced the award of a grant of £162,000. This was the final piece in the jigsaw . . . the work could now begin! |
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Work Begins ... and Continues
February 2002
Preparatory Work has begun! The contractors have started to erect their scaffolding around the church. Their intention is to envelope the entire church within a giant tent-like structure so that work can continue ... what ever the Highland weather might throw at them!
March 2002
Preparatory Work continues The scaffolding around the church continues to grow . . . not much else to report!
April 2002Work begins. The scaffolding around the church is complete. The latest addition is the canvas 'tent' which covers the entire church. The only part left uncovered so far is the spire, but the finial on top has been removed so that restoration work can begin on it. Work on chipping out the old pointing has also begun. May 2002Work continues. The water drainage system to take rain water off the roof is the main part of the work. The reconstruction of this has now begun. It entails a complete redesign and rebuild of the drainage channels and of various other parts of the system. This is now well in hand on the north side of the church. |
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June 2002
Work continues on schedule. The plumber, working on the lead work, the joiners, reparing parts of the roof and replacing the facings, and the slaters, putting new Welsh slates on the hall roof and the north side of the main church roof, have are all very busy this month! It is good to see steady progress under the great tarpaulin which envelopes the entire church.
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July 2002Nearing the end of the 'Outside Phase'. The church is now completely "under wraps" beneath the giant tarpaulin which completely covers the bell tower. The plumber continues his lead work, at present working on the south sloping roof. Soon they will move up to the bell tower. The joiners have been busy reparing parts of the roof, replacing more facings and also removing the bell from its cradle. Donald MacRae - who is the main sub-contractor and also a regular member of St Michael's - has spent much time cleaning the bell in his workshop and is about to fit the new 'electric' hammer inside it. |
We have also decided to place a sealed Time Capsule in the restored bell tower, recalling our past, telling of our present and of our hopes for the future! The slaters will soon start to put new Welsh slates on to the church roof, starting on south side. It is good to see that the steady progress continues under the great tarpaulin which envelopes the entire church.
August 2002The church now has a wonderful new slate roof . . . and this week they start of the bell tower. The church walls have all been cleaned and the re-pointing is being done at the moment. Work has also started to re-built the boiler house beneath the church hall and when this has been done a new heating system will be installed. |
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Topping Out Ceremony
To mark the completion of the new roof we had a "Topping Out" Ceremony on Saturday 3rd August when we asked God's blessing on the project and toasted the event with the contents of a barrel St Michael's Steeple Ale supplied by the Isle of Skye Brewery.
 All eyes are raised in the Rectory garden   Fr Len on top of the Church roof with a slater's hammer and a glass of Steeple Ale Right: The celebrations continue over another glass of St Michael's Steeple Ale with Bishop John Crook |
Soon the work will move inside the church. The walls will be cleaned and then the floor will be removed to allow a new cement base beneath the floor. A new wooden floor will then be constructed. While this is going on Fr Len will begin the task of cleaning the golden tester above the high altar from a specially constructed platform. With careful planning - and the contractors doing what they say they will do when they say they will do it - we will only be out of the church for one Sunday! The re-painting of the interior will continue around us! (The scaffolding is still as in the above photo.) |
  
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September 2002
The work on the outside of the church has now reached its final stage . . . and has work has begun inside with the cleaning of the church walls. The old floor has been taken out and work has even been going on beneath the floor. A new heating system is being installed before the new floor is laid in both the church and the parish hall. The stone font was raised up four feet above its usual level to allow a new foundation to be built and a new drain from the font to the ground outside to laid.
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Mass with-in TentBecause of the work going on inside of the church we had to move out ... but where? The large Rectory garden seemed the ideal place so two large plastic structures were purchased from B&Q for £99 each. And for the next few Sundays the Parish Mass was held in our marquee in the Rectory Garden. |
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The statues of St Michael and of Our Lady moved out with us, along with the banners and the Holy Family Altar, as well as various other bits and pieces. All agreed that it made a very acceptable temporary St Michael and Mass was indeed celebrated with in-tent. Midweek Mass has been cancelled, and while it all worked well, we hoped that this situation would not last too long. Thankfully - because the weather was about to change for the worst - we were back in the church again after just three Sundays! |
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The Gilded TesterWhile the church floor was being relaid, scaffolding was errected in the Sanctuary to allow access to the Gilded Tester. Fr Len had volunteered to clean the tester and having sought advice from Canon Jeremy Haselock, Canon Precentor, and now Vice Dean of Norwich Cathedral. Armed with special cloths and warm, mild soapy water he scaled the scaffolding and worked away for hours. The result was quite spectacular ... the gold leaf could be seen in all its glory! |
During the cleaning, Fr Len came across a small piece of tissue paper on the top side of the tester, with some gold leaf still on it. This presumably was left by the craftsman who applied the gold leaf in 1928 showing that the gold leaf was applied once the tester had been put into place. Left: before the work began |
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October 2002
Back inside the church again as work continues around us! . . . The painters are busy repaining and restoring the moulding of the roof. The new heating system - much to the relief of everyone - is now working, although the system still has to be fine-tuned. We have no lighting in the church because the electricians have removed all the old fittings to allow the painters to work. We are using some temporary flood lights and lots of candles! The painters will complete their work in the main part of the church during the coming week during the last week of October and that same week the electricians will complete their work of re-wiring the church and installing the new lighting system. The Electricity Board have promised to appear at 8am on All Saints Day to connect up the new power supply to the church. The new church doors - wonderful! - are in place and the newly restored leaded windows are back in place in the parish hall. All in all, things are progressing well, and only a few weeks behind schedule. We keep reminding our ourselves that it will all be wonderful ... soon!
November 2002
We have been promised that all the work will be completed by the end of this month. The work still to be done included paiting the wooden Reredos at the east end of the church, the Lady Chapel, the Gallery and the Porch, as well as the Church Hall. The electricial has some more work to do at the switch-end of the new lighting system. The joiners have to install the new internal doors at the west end and varnish the new floor. New red tiles have to be laid in the Sanctuary and Chancel and a new carpet fitted in the Sanctuary, the Aisle and the Hall. The builders have to finish off laying the new drains, repair some stonework and clear up all the rubble. We await with eager anticipation.
December 2002
Further progress has been very slow ... and very frustrating, because most of the work still to be done is just "finishing off" work! The paiting of the 'detail' in wooden Reredos at the east end of the church and in front of the Gallery has still to be done, as has the "finishing off" in the Church Hall. The joiners also have some "finishing off" work to do and we are still waiting for the new red tiles to be laid in the Sanctuary and Chancel .. the new carpet is waiting (on the tilers) to be fitted in the Sanctuary, the Aisle and the Hall. The electricial work and the new lighting system is now completed - and it looks worderful! The builders have finished laying the new drains and have cleared up all the rubble, so that the outside and the church grounds are looking good. The church bell is also ringing beautifully and is ready to 'ring in' the New Year - 2003 - this Hogmanay! So all in all we are at present both frustrated and patient ... but still we wait with eager anticipation!!!
January 2003
Work has begun again ... and is progressing well. We are now down to the "finishing off" work by the various trades. The Architect has set the date of 31st January for the completion of all the work. Time will tell!
February 2003The work is done ... all is finished in time for the Season of Lent! |
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Thanksgiving for the Restoration
 The Thanksgiving Group   Left: Frs Gordon, Len and Bill | A great Service of Thanksgiving was held on Easter Saturday, 26th April 2003, when the preacher was the Venerable Gordon Reid, Archdeacon of Italy and Malta. The Bishop of Moray, Ross and Caithness presided. At a Celebration Mass the following day, Sunday 27th April, the preacher was the Reverend Prebendary Bill Scott, Chaplain to the Queen's Chapel of the Savoy, London. On the Saturday the Service of Thanksgiving was followed by a Garden Party at which another barrel of St Michael's Steeple Ale was provided by the Isle of Skye Brewery. Amongst the quests was Sister Mary Joan SSM from the Priory of Our Lady of Walsingham. Sr Mary Joan - then Mary Fairburn - had once been organist at St Michael and All Angels. |
 Celebrating after the Service    Left: Fr Len checks the ale |
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Both celebrations - the Saturday and the Sunday - were occasions when we gave thanks to Almighty God for the many blessings we had received, and for the restored glory of this very special Church dedicated to St Michael and All Angels in which we are privileged to worship our Lord, Creator and Redeemer. | ||
January 2005In the Church Times of 14th January 2005, reporter Nick Ericsson reported on "Using beer to raise funds". This is an extract from the article: |
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CHURCHES have used beer effectively to raise funds After reading about a topping out ceremony in the Church Times during which a vicar had posed on top of a church roof with a glass of ale, the Rector of St Michael and All Angels and the Dean of the Diocese of Moray, Ross and Caithness, the Very Revd Len Black, teamed up with the Isle of Skye Brewery in 2002 to produce a special beer to raise funds for the restoration of the roof at the church. On completion of the restoration work, Canon Black himself climbed on to the top of the steeple of St Michael's carrying a pint of the special brew - St Michael's Steeple Ale - and a slater's hammer (bottom) and asked for God's blessing on the £350,000 restoration work. The ale itself raised a few hundred pounds, but, more importantly, raised public awareness, and the public contributed several thousands pounds towards the restoration work. Canon Black, who has been involved with CAMRA (the Campaign for Real Ale) for many years, said at the time: "What better way to toast the completion of the new roof than with a glass of the best from the Isle of Skye brewery? We are doing what the Christian Church has always done: we have taken an ancient ceremony and turned it into an an occasion where we ask God's blessing." |
 Front page of the Church Times on 14th January 2005 |
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