Scaffolding erected and essential work begins on restoring church tower of 155-year-old St Edward's Catholic Church in Leeds

Elite Scaffolding, based at Thorpe Arch Trading Estate, spent three weeks scaffolding St Edward's Catholic Church’s imposing west tower, allowing essential work to be carried out.

The structure, complete with buttresses, was finished in 1867 and culminates in a pyramid shaped ashlar roof and a finial. The base of the tower is open and has massive round arches open on three sides, making a very grand entrance to the church.

Spencer Cassidy, Elite Scaffolding’s managing director, said: “After successfully completing high profile projects at Ripley Castle, Knaresborough Castle, and Allerton Castle, this is the latest heritage building project that we have involved with. This is another significant project for us, and we are delighted to be playing our part in helping restore this prominent structure, one that dominates the local skyline. It also demonstrates our expertise in scaffolding historic and listed buildings.”

The Catholic church, located in the village of Clifford, near Boston Spa, was established to serve the growing population of Irish workers who came to work in the local flax mill in the 1830s, and was constructed of ashlar limestone with a green slate roof.

The eight-month programme of work will see extensive repairs to the tower, masonry, gutters and windows. Other works include replacing the lightning conductors fixings, repairing fissures running through stone which require pinning to prevent further movement, replacing and repointing cement joints, replacing high level iron bars, and pressure cleaning window ledges.