The tower upon completion: St Jude, Courtfiled Gardens 
The repairs in progress: St Jude, Courtfiled Gardens 
Differing degrees of replacement stone to the lucarnes: St Jude, Courtfiled Gardens
Following stone falls in 2016, it became apparent that the crumbling masonry of the 1870-9 Godwin- designed church building needed urgent attention.
The exposed condition of the spire manifested the extent of decay and stone loss when it was discovered that the spire walls were 160mm thick in places and the Structural Engineer calculated that 15 tonnes of material has weathered away over the lifetime of the spire, including from the steeple’s interior. This necessitated careful sequencing when rebuilding the delicate fabric around the lucarnes which required strengthened stone courses.
The scaffolding provided a once-in- a-generation opportunity to leave the spire in a good state of repair. Due to the advanced state of decay, the repairs saw whole and near- whole replacement of the stone lucarnes, and 20% renewal of ashlar stonework to the spire, with extensive removal of loose material and protective ‘shelter-coating’ elsewhere.
