Context 153 - March 2018

48 C O N T E X T 1 5 3 : M A R C H 2 0 1 8 of great value, but the work would not have happened without the tireless efforts of the St James’s Priory Project director, Susan Jotcham, and huge amounts of passionate voluntary effort, not least by Rob Harding. The award of funds enabled structural work to be done. The failing roof timbers were pushing the walls outwards, causing major water ingress.The outward lean of the west elevation and the internal colonnades needed foundation underpinning, but reports by Momentum Engineering concluded that there was no danger of collapse.Dendrochronological analysis of the roof timbers revealed that the structure of the wagon roof in the chancel dated from around 1346, and that of the nave from between 1411 and 1436. Considerable work was needed to stabilise the roof and protect these ancient timbers. Once the major structural works had been carried out, it was possible to look at some of the more detailed aspects of stonework conservation and the restoration of the 56 significant monuments. A detailed report by Odgers Conservation Consultants advised on how to stabilise the west front, oculus and blind arcades, and correct past, poor-quality restoration, without losing the essential qualities of the decorative features.Very delicate work had to be undertaken to achieve this in a thoughtful and careful way as the stonework was badly eroded and had been repaired in the past with little understanding of its significance. It was important to ensure that newwork was sensitively inserted and that no attempt was made to age the stone artificially. The monuments inside the church and in the adjacent Church House were cleaned of the thick brownVictorian varnish that had obscured both colour and detail, and the same care was taken to respect past work without resorting to artifice. There were some amazing transformations. One significant matter was how make the building’s main use economically viable. After exploring a range of possibilities, the decision was taken to create a new cafe with a frontage to a busy pedestrian route to the bus station. A series of meeting rooms were created for the St James’s Priory Projects to use in supporting people in recovery from addictions, and they could also be available for rent by the many local businesses in the area. Good practice in considering how to alter and extend this listed building to provide these facilities led to the conversion of the Victorian north aisle of the church. This, the least desirable part of the building, had been roundly condemned by George Gilbert Scott and JL Pearson when it was built in 1864. Indeed, the separation of this aisle from the main body of the church could be said to have restored, at least to some degree, the original proportions of the ancient building.The simple elegance of the church following the completion of the work in 2011 demonstrates that this decision was well judged. Part of the original Heritage Lottery-funded project was to improve public interpretation of the building and ensure that people had good access. While this was achieved to some extent in 2015, it was decided to undertake a further project to open the building up to the public more effectively.This included work to explain the building, organising events to bring people into the church, arranging guided tours of the building, and preparing leaflets and drawings to explain the building and the monuments.Work continues to make sure that Bristolians and visitors to Bristol alike know the building and come to value it. Despite these efforts, the building remains under threat. Maintaining its economic viability is a challenge. New food outlets opposite the cafe mean that the financial environment is extremely competitive. Bookings of the meeting rooms remain strong and are helping to keep the St James’s Priory Project just about afloat, but this leaves little money for maintenance. FergusonMann produced a phased maintenance plan as part of the HLF documentation, but so far it has not been possible to fulfill all its recommendations. The lack of maintenance is the first of three significant challenges faced today by this important building. A second threat relates to proposals for the development of nearby buildings. Alterations and extensions at the Bristol Royal Infirmary, close to St James’s Priory, have resulted in the release of the old hospital building to the open market. Unite, a developer that concentrates on providing student accommodation, wants to convert the existing buildings, but it also proposes a 20-storey block of student flats. Bristol City Council refused permission on the grounds of inappropriate height, scale and massing, poor design quality and the overbearing impact of the proposed building on the amenity of St James’s Priory. The applicant lodged an appeal, but the matter is now on hold because of a recent decision by Historic England to list part of the old hospital buildings, including the chapel. It is clear that the pressure for commercial development in the area is unlikely to disappear.While it is true that St James’s Priory is already hemmed in by commercial development and that new buildings nearby have already overshadowed the smaller scale of the courtyard, it could become much worse. A final challenge is to find successors to the individuals who put their hearts and souls into the work of saving and restoring the building. The personal characteristics of the members of the St James’s Priory Project teamwho worked to establish a place to provide support for people struggling with addictions have been applied also to the building itself.The result is a haven in a busy commercial area of the city that is appreciated bymany, including office workers, shoppers and visitors to the nearby hospital. It is to be hoped that new champions will emerge. Sandra Manley is visiting research fellow in the faculty of environment and technology, UWE, Bristol. Dendrochronological analysis showed St James’s Priory’s wagon roof to be older than had been thought.