Glastonbury Tor

Repairs to St Michael's Church Tower, 2003

Masonry Repairs

Helicopter lifting scaffolding to the summit of the Tor

Scaffolding and other equipment was lifted to the summit by helicopter.

The works included repair of the parapet, rebuilding of parts of the south wall and repointing.

The works were carried out in 2003 by St Blaise Conservation Ltd.

Above: St Michael’s church tower in August 2003

St Michael's church tower is the last remnant of a monastic settlement on the summit of the Tor. The site was passed to the National Trust in the 1930’s. Major repairs to the tower were last carried out by in 1947-48.

My 1999 condition report made recommendations for repairs to the tower and site improvements.

In 2001, I coordinated a successful bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund for funding to repair the tower.

Above: The tower is a prominent landmark rising over the Somerset Levels

The works were widely reported in the local and national press, BBC News and Channel 4 News.

More information about the project is contained in an article I wrote for the RICS Conservation Journal.

e-mail: keithwgarner@btinternet.com