Buttress | St Ann’s Church

The church is notable for the variety of stone that make up its walls, one of which is a local sandstone which is quite soft and prone to deteriorate.

Although previous projects have taken place over the years, these were not enough to prevent the building from falling into a state of disrepair, which was made a priority in 2009 when small loose masonry fell to the public pathway surrounding the church.
The main challenge to restoration of the church has been identification of the original sandstone, understanding its characteristics and finding a good match for replacement and repairs.

The church received English Heritage grants to repair and restore the church and Buttress were appointed as architects to lead the project. We carried out rectified photography and investigation from the scaffold to identify one by one stones that needed to be replaced, re-faced or repaired. Cement mortars from earlier century repairs have been removed and replaced with lime, details have been recreated by expert masons and new lead facings and discreet bird wires have been introduced to prevent untimely damage to the restored church.
Manchester Society of Architects Awards 2013: Winner of the Conservation Award