The South Door (2015)

Entrance to the church is normally through the south porch and door.  The door is original and dates from the fifteenth century.  It had become stiff and difficult to open and close and so needed careful, specialist restoration to reseat the hinges and repair rot along the bottom of both doors.

Before

Here you can see the gothic tracery in the oak of one of the doors to be repaired.

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 repairs south_door_tracery

From the inside of the church, you can see the draughty gap along the bottom of the south door.

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 south door from the inside showing draughty gaps

Here is shot of one of the doors with a hinge that needs re-seating, an earlier repair along the base and the rusting cage door (to let air in and keep birds out).

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 repairs South door open, damaged hinge and rusty bird cage door

Here, a craftsman is removing one of the doors to take it away for specialist restoration.

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 South door removed to take away for specialist restoration

The door is now on a trestle and being protectively wrapped for its journey to the workshop.

St George's Great Bromley Essex 2015 south door being wrapped for transport to the workshop

With the south doors in the workshop, a temporary door was installed; not quite so elaborate as the original!

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 Temporary south door

After

Here is what visitors now see on arriving in the south porch: oak repairs to the base of the doors and a newly resprayed cage door. The doors now open and close with perfect ease.

St George's Church Great Bromley Essex 2015 general view of repaired south door and bird cage door

Here is a close-up of the base of the door.

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 repaired base of the south doors

And here is a close-up of the cage door, having had the rust removed and a protective layer of paint in a sympathetic colour applied.

St George's Gt Bromley Essex 2015 cage door repainted in a sympathetic colour

Details of all our restoration projects since 2010 can be found on the restoration projects page.