Our Tower is Getting a New Lease of Life!

A major restoration project is about to begin at St John’s Church, Stanmore.

St John’s Church has been at the heart of the Stanmore community since 1850.  For more than 175 years, our beautiful Grade II* listed building has been a place of worship, celebration, friendship and community life – as well as an important part of Stanmore’s heritage.  Now, our historic church tower is about to receive some much-needed care and attention.

Early next month, a major programme of repairs and conservation will begin, starting with the arrival of scaffolding around the church tower.  The scaffolding will allow specialist craftspeople to work safely at height and give the tower the care it needs to ensure it remains a part of Stanmore’s skyline for generations to come.

The project will include:

• carefully removing loose and deteriorating material from the stonework;
• conservation cleaning of the ragstone and dressed stone;
• replacing stonework that is badly decayed or missing;
• repointing the masonry using traditional lime mortar;
• renovating the bell chamber louvres and window guards;
• repairing and cleaning the tower and turret windows;
• redecorating the tower doors;
• overhauling and redecorating the parapet rainwater goods;
• restoring the tower clock dial; and
• re-rigging the flagpole.

This is much more than simply repairing a building.  It is an investment in a much-loved part of Stanmore’s history and in the future of St John’s as a place for the whole community.

For everyone's safety, some footpaths around the church will need to be closed while the work is underway.  Access to the church will be via Rectory Lane.  Ramped access will continue to be available through the door beneath the tower, which can be reached via the lych gate on the main road.

We know that scaffolding will change the appearance of the church for a while, but we hope the community will enjoy seeing the project take shape – and, ultimately, seeing our historic tower restored and cared for.

We will be sharing regular updates, photographs and news on this page as the work progresses, so please come back and follow the transformation of the tower!

Thank you for your patience and support while we give this important part of Stanmore’s heritage a new lease of life.