Boundary Walls at St Mary Church Bocking Essex

Client: The Deanery Church of St Mary the Virgin, Bocking

Completed: Dec 2016

Category: Places of Worship

Contract Duration: 16 Weeks

Client: Braintree District Council

What we did...

Restoration & Conservation
Stone & Masonry Repairs
Brick Repairs
Drainage & Excavating

USL were pleased to be awarded the contract to carry out vital restoration and repairs works to the boundary walls at the Church of St Mary the Virgin in Bocking, Essex. The Church has a rich history dating back to the time of Aetheric, Lord of the Manor of Bocking and the battle against the Vikings at Maldon.

The church of St Mary, Bocking is an important C14 and later wool church that has considerable work of the late C15 and early C16. The walls to the church hold the heritage category of Grade II* as it is an important example of C16 churchyard wall, much restored in the C17 and later constructed of flint rubble patched with brick and moulded stone copings. The wall was in need of vital restoration works including the sensitive removal and rebuilding of defected areas, foundation repairs, in situ masonry repairs and rubble wall conservation.

The restoration and repair programme to the boundary walls included;

Clearing debris to accommodate necessary excavations works.
Surveying wall foundations to determine depth and structural quality.
Repairs to existing foundations including the reconstruction/repairs of wall sections and new additions where reusing materials was not deemed suitable.
Rubble wall repairs and flint conservation.
Repairs to capping details with matched bricks.
The brickwork was laid using Hydraulic Lime mixed with well-graded sharp sand.
As much of the existed bonded brickwork was kept in place prior to the reconstruction and repair works.

Completed wall sections

Older sections of boundary wall

New reconstructed brick wall

Example of pre-works condition

Interesting find in wall

Flint rubble wall repairs

Brick_Example of new capping

Work in progress

Works in progress

Restoration work in progress

The wall was in need of vital restoration works including the sensitive removal and rebuilding of defected areas, foundation repairs, in situ masonry repairs and rubble wall conservation.