Flooring Project 2025

When St Wilfrid's Church was built in 1120 the flooring was simply flattened earth, probably spread with rushes from the river Mersey or nearby ponds. From time to time the old rushes would be brushed out, and fresh ones laid for people to walk and stand on.  This simple arrangement was what was expected in humble places of worship throughout the middle ages. Well-funded monasteries and priories like the nearby Norton Priory crafted beautifully coloured tiles in their own workshops. Norton Priory today exhibits some great examples of tiling.

In 1874 St Wilfrid's had a major upgrade.  A wooden framework was erected across the whole floor area to create a platform about a foot above the beaten earth.  Over much of the Nave pine floorboards were laid across the framework, and 3 tiled aisles were created running east to west.  The area from the south porch to the north door was tiled with simple tiles, whilst by the choir stalls and around the altar, were tiled with more elaborate two colour tiles, similar to those found at Norton Priory.  Probably around 50 years later the aisles in the nave and through the centre of the choir stalls were carpeted. 

But in 2025 the aisle carpet seemed to be quite undulating.  Children could see their toy cars moving up and down as they rolled them along the aisles. When we took up the carpet to investigate, we were shocked to see that the limestone cement, that had been used about 150 years ago to support the tiles, had crumbled and cracked. Many of the tiles simply lifted off.  Gaping holes could be seen into the void below the beams of the wooden framework. We carefully examined the tiled areas throughout the church, finding cracked and uneven patches in a number of areas. We took advice from our Church Architect, who told us it was not unusual for this type of subfloor cement to fail.  He had checked in his routine 2020 regular 5 year inspection, and it had not been too bad, but urgent action is recommended now.

We applied for financial support to the National Churches Trust who generously offered us a £3,000 grant with a further £6,000 from the Wolfson Foundation. They were aware of the excellent care of our church taken, particularly by our Churchwarden team backed by our Treasurer, and also by our many volunteers.  We have been Finalists for 2 years running for the Naylor Award for Excellence in Church Maintenance.  St Wilfrid's will need to match the grant funding, but the work can be done. It has to be done.

The subfloor is very dusty so we have discussed with contractors how they can install a tent like structure over their working area to contain the dust, with a dust extractor fan. The plan is to address the damaged area near the entrance at the south porch during the quieter August period. That entrance will be temporarily closed, so entry to the church will by the annexe door, with the west door becoming the Emergency exit during services. We apologise for any inconvenience which we hope will be minimal. The plan is to complete that part of the floor maintenance program before the next Wedding and Live at St Wilfrid's! concert. We will be making announcements about where subsequent work is planned.  As the work progresses some people will probably need to sit in a slightly different place during services as we carefully stabilise the flooring. Thank you for your patience. 

If you would like to donate to support this very necessary maintenance you can do so by clicking here, using the contactless card reader in Church or by Bank Transfer.

Thank you to National Churches Trust and to the Wolfson Foundation for your very timely help with this urgent problem.

Flooring Maintenance

When St Wilfrid's Church was built in 1120 the flooring was simply flattened earth, probably spread with rushes from the river Mersey or nearby ponds. From time to time the old rushes would be brushed out, and fresh ones laid for people to walk and stand on.  This simple arrangement was what was expected in humble places of worship throughout the middle ages. Well-funded monasteries and priories like the nearby Norton Priory crafted beautifully coloured tiles in their own workshops. Norton Priory today exhibits some great examples of tiling.

In 1874 St Wilfrid's had a major upgrade.  A wooden framework was erected across the whole floor area to create a platform about a foot above the beaten earth.  Over much of the Nave pine floorboards were laid across the framework, and 3 tiled aisles were created running east to west.  The area from the south porch to the north door was tiled with simple tiles, whilst by the choir stalls and around the altar, were tiled with more elaborate two colour tiles, similar to those found at Norton Priory.  Probably around 50 years later the aisles in the nave and through the centre of the choir stalls were carpeted. 

But in 2025 the aisle carpet seemed to be quite undulating.  Children could see their toy cars moving up and down as they rolled them along the aisles. When we took up the carpet to investigate, we were shocked to see that the limestone cement, that had been used about 150 years ago to support the tiles, had crumbled and cracked. Many of the tiles simply lifted off.  Gaping holes could be seen into the void below the beams of the wooden framework. We carefully examined the tiled areas throughout the church, finding cracked and uneven patches in a number of areas. We took advice from our Church Architect, who told us it was not unusual for this type of subfloor cement to fail.  He had checked in his routine 2020 regular 5 year inspection, and it had not been too bad, but urgent action is recommended now.

We applied for financial support to the National Churches Trust who generously offered us a £3,000 grant with a further £6,000 from the Wolfson Foundation. They were aware of the excellent care of our church taken, particularly by our Churchwarden team backed by our Treasurer, and also by our many volunteers.  We have been Finalists for 2 years running for the Naylor Award for Excellence in Church Maintenance.  St Wilfrid's will need to match the grant funding, but the work can be done. It has to be done.

The subfloor is very dusty so we have discussed with contractors how they can install a tent like structure over their working area to contain the dust, with a dust extractor fan. The plan is to address the damaged area near the entrance at the south porch during the quieter August period. That entrance will be temporarily closed, so entry to the church will by the annexe door, with the west door becoming the Emergency exit during services. We apologise for any inconvenience which we hope will be minimal. The plan is to complete that part of the floor maintenance program before the next Wedding and Live at St Wilfrid's! concert. We will be making announcements about where subsequent work is planned.  As the work progresses some people will probably need to sit in a slightly different place during services as we carefully stabilise the flooring. Thank you for your patience. 

If you would like to donate to support this very necessary maintenance you can do so by clicking here, using the contactless card reader in Church, or by Bank Transfer.

Thank you to National Churches Trust and to the Wolfson Foundation for your very timely help with this urgent problem.