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Tel: 08450 450 500

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Buildings and Sites in the Care of South Cambridgeshire District Council

• Duxford Chapel
• The Church of St Denis, East Hatley (read about the restoration work being carried out on this building, below)
• The Tithe Barn, Landbeach
• Great Shelford Churchyard
• Horseheath Churchyard

The Church of St Denis, East Hatley

(More pictures in the photo gallery)

One of the most interesting buildings in the care of South Cambridgeshire District Council is the former parish church of St. Denis, East Hatley, which is listed Grade II* and dates from the fourteenth century, although it was substantially 'restored' by the notable nineteenth century architect, William Butterfield.

The church became redundant in 1959 and, in order to prevent its demolition by the Diocese, ownership was conveyed by the Church Commissioners to South Cambridgeshire District Council in 1983 - 'for use as a nature reserve and for the study of natural history…'.

The conveyance was for the church building only with access by a right of way through the churchyard. The churchyard remained open for burials and was designated as a County Wildlife Site, with maintenance being undertaken by the St. Denis Local Nature Reserve Committee.

By November 2002 the church building had become completely overgrown by ivy, which then combined with high winds to cause significant damage to the roofs and walls, such that parts of the structure were deemed unsafe. (see photo 1)

Architects were commissioned to report on the condition of the fabric but were unable to complete the structural assessment due to the extent of the ivy growth. Messrs E. Bowman & Sons Ltd were therefore appointed on behalf of SCDC to remove the ivy from the fabric of the Church to enable the building to be surveyed and public safety works to be undertaken. This work was completed during the early part of 2003 (prior to the bird breeding season). The subsequent Architects' inspection revealed severe damage to part of the external walls, with the gable ends unstable and in danger of collapse. The roof tiles were insecure and liable to fall off during windy weather, while the removal of the ivy had left voids in the fabric and had affected the integrity of both the roof and the walls, leaving many of the tiles loose and much of the flint stone facing in a decayed condition. The perimeter security fencing was consequently left in place to protect the public from injury by falling roof tiles and scaffolding was retained to the east end of the church to prevent the wall from collapsing. (See photo 2)

A programme of works to restore the external fabric of the building has since been put in place, with significant financial support from English Heritage. Haymills Ltd were appointed in July 2005 to repair the damaged stonework, undertake repairs to the roof timbers and re-tile the roof. Photo 3 shows the work underway in October 2005, with the stonework substantially complete and timber repairs being undertaken. Photo 4 above shows progress at early December 2005, with re-tiling of the roof taking place. This is now complete.

The next step will be to secure further grant support to enable the building to be utilised for an appropriate community purpose, a scheme will be developed in consultation with the Parish and interested parties.