The refurbishment work of the Nave is aimed at delivering a renewed cathedral fit for the 21st century, and will span for 51 weeks. It is the first major restoration work since George Gilbert Scott’s reordering in the 1870’s. The work will aim to retain all significant historic fabric.
Carried out by London-based conservation architects Thomas Ford and Partners, it will include installation of new flooring, heating and state-of-the-art computerised lighting and AV systems. The Nave will have a new stone floor incorporating a labyrinth design in the paving, which will be a new feature. The removal of 140 years of grime from the internal stonework and a new lighting scheme will be carried out.
Restoration work began with the installation of a large timber screen to protect the North Choir Aisle, South Aisle and Choir, which is open to the public, from the Nave area. After removing the pews, to be replaced with more flexible seating at the conclusion of works, the old floor was taken out with the ledgers kept to one side. These historic grave markers will be relocated within the Cathedral grounds as the project progresses.
After removal of the old floor, six weeks of meticulous archaeology was then carried out by Wessex Archeology that unearthed 26 bodies, many within coffins, buried beneath the nave. A full birdcage scaffold was then installed over a five-week period that allowed the team to clean the stone walls using specialist equipment that cleans stone and brick surfaces quickly and effectively using superheated water jet sprays. This innovative specialised process uses less water than traditional hot and cold water pressure washers firing a 150ºC liquid spray that removes all manner of surface coatings without any need for chemicals.
The restoration team then began the process of replacing the floor with a series of layers installed that let the Cathedral breathe as well as allowed addition of an underfloor heating system. The first sub-base layer comprised of a flexible, load bearing, thermal insulation material sourced from Germany that is comprised of recycled glass foam granulate. This eco-friendly material complements the layer of limecrete above. According to architects, it will be one of the biggest limecrete floors in the UK covering an area of 90 cubic metres, with up to 8 cubic metres filled in per day.
The floor finish is locally sourced sandstone laid in a staggered irregular pattern and also incorporates a labyrinth paving design reflecting the story of life. To do this, the entire space was divided into zones, with the heating system and the electrical system installed within specific zones.
The work began in February 2012 and is expected to conclude by Easter 2013. The current refurbishment work has been funded predominantly with a £1.58 million ($2.55 million) grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
Wakefield Cathedral was built shortly after 1066. As Wakefield prospered, further additions were added to what was then known as the Church of All Saints. Most of the work, including the erection of a 247-foot spire, which is the fourth highest in the UK, was being carried out in 1460. In 1888, the church became a Cathedral at the heart of the newly created diocese of Wakefield.
