The proposed replacement of the natural slate roof finish to the high-level roofs of Saint Patrick’s Cathedral commenced on site in July 2019. Clancy Construction are the Main Contractors for the project. The replacement slates are Penrhyn 'Blue Bangor' from North Wales which are recognized globally as being the best quality natural slate in the world.
At this stage the site set-up has been completed with a tower crane located just behind the North Transept. Scaffolding has also commenced on either side of the Nave and scaffolding towers have been erected internally to facilitate the removal of the clerestory windows for refurbishment. The scaffolding has been designed with a temporary roof to protect the priceless interior of the Cathedral which includes some roof timbers that date back to the thirteenth century. It is expected that the removal of slates will start in March 2020 in the Nave followed by further phases on the Crossing and Transepts and Sanctuary.
St. Patrick’s Cathedral is a national treasure with some amazing statistics. The Cathedral has 70 Staff and had 562,119 visitors in 2018 with a further 65,000 people attending services, concerts and events. Another 3,000 people learned about St. Patrick’s famous Dean, Jonathan Swift during Heritage Week. In November 2018 Fallen marked the centenary of the end of World War 1 when 36,000 paper leaves were suspended from the Nave, each one representing an Irish fatality. These leaves were selected from some 250,000 leaves that were left at the Tree of Remembrance over the previous four years.
BMP are working with a very experienced Design Team including Benjamin + Beauchamp Architects, Punch Consulting Engineers and Arup Consulting Engineers under the direction of Interactive Project Managers Ltd. and the St. Patrick’s Cathedral Fabric Committee. We wish everyone involved in the project a safe and rewarding experience in completing this challenging renovation and refurbishment project.
