Blencowe Scaffolding ‘leads the way’ after installing the first ever Layher Keder XL roof system on a UK construction project.
Months of precision planing and a highly skilled team of scaffolders from Blencowe Scaffolding Ltd made history yesterday after successfully installing a 27 tonne temporary roof to the world famous Winchester Cathedral.
Hundreds of spectators from around Winchester witnessed the 300 tonne crane, which is one of the biggest mobile cranes in Britain lift seven prebuilt sections of the Layher Keder XL roof system into place. The ambitious structure will stay in place providing weather protection for the next two years.
The temporary roof is believed to be the biggest single scaffolding structure ever to be put on a British Cathedral.
The 11th Century Winchester Cathedral is currently undergoing a £20.5m restoration works program with £4m being spent on major roof repairs. The temporary roof will allow 40 roofers to remove the existing lead, which is broken and leaking. The lead will then be melted down off-site and recast to last another 150 years.
Speaking to ScaffMag Alan Blencowe, of Blencowe Scaffolding said;
“It was a tremendous project to be involved with and it’s been great working closely with Winchester Cathedral’s project management team and Layher UK. We’d like to say a huge thank you to all our scaffolders that were involved in the project and for helping to make it such a success.”
“We hope to undertake more projects of this magnitude in the near future and pleased to announce that we now have a separate division within Blencowe Scaffolding Ltd for Layher scaffolding projects.”
Site Construction Manager Ian Bartlett said;
“As far as we know, this is the first time that this has taken place on a Cathedral in this country. Apart from the complexities of building the framework in the first place, the logistics of working in a relatively tight space at that end of the building to achieve the lift mean that everything has to be planned to the minutest degree.”
