Just eight days after a pinnacle was blown down by Storm Arwen, badly damaging the north choir aisle, twelve bells rang out over the city before the morning Eucharist on 5 December. Moving quickly, on Monday 29 November our friend Rich Martin and his team from Heritage Stone Access were inspecting the damage. They were working with Darren Steele (Master Mason), Andrew Waring (structural engineer), Camilla Finlay, (Cathedral architect) and Chapter, the damage was assessed and appropriate measures were taken.
The fallen pinnacle is over ten feet tall. In 1924 the iron rods which support the tower embellishments were replaced with a non-rusting metal alloy. The lime mortar bonding the sandstone pinnacles had been eroded by the wind and rain. This meant the pinnacle would eventually ‘rock’, weakening the alloy rod. In extreme weather, Storm Arwen’s wind speed was enough to blow down the pinnacle. The tower inspection was finished on 3 December and some repairs are still taking place.
Our Advent peal, Advent quarter peal, Sunday and practice ringing were cancelled. The Cathedral ringers had an anxious time waiting for news. However, we knew we had an excellent team of experts working on the tower. The all clear was given and twelve bells rang out over Worcester last Sunday.
Mark Regan
