Re: Re: reorganisation and destruction of irish catholic churches

St. Colman’s Cathedral, Cobh, Co. Cork

Readers will be aware that works are currently being carried on at St Colman’s cathedral. tese works are regarded as ordinary maintenance by Cobh Town Council. Essentially, what is now happening is repairing the damage to the fabric which has been caused by a series of injudicious works carried out on it from 1993-2000. Readers will recall that the Bath stone cladding of the South arcade was badly affected by water ingress and sections of it collapsed at Christmas 2007. The information below now indicates just how extensive the deficiencies of the 1993-2000 “conservation” works were. Five rows of slate on the South side must be removed and a provision made to prevent rain by forced under them by teh strong South winds – why was this not done during the “conservation” work. Although the originaly slates had pulverised and needed to eb replaced, the Cathedral roof did not suffer from this problem prior to 1993-2000 works.

Also, we are told that the mortar pointing on the South side must be replaced as well as on the North side. The dissolution of the pointing which was installed in 1993-2000 has caused water to penetarte the walls on the South and North sides causing extensive damage to the North wall of the Baptietery. Up to the time of the 1992-2000 “conservation” works, this problem did not exist.

A new under floor heating system was also installed in the 1993-2000 “conservation works”. This heating system is covered by a block wood floor. WHen the heating is switched on, the wooden floor expands. Because the protective metal case for the aisle mosaics was removed and not replaced, the expanding wooden floor expands into the tesserae of the aisle mosaics causing them to lift. This problem had not existed prior to the “conservation works”.

All of this, amply abetted by Cobh Town Council, does not engender much confidence in the best conservation practice that is often touted by the Cork Conservation Officer but little of which makes its way onto the ground in Cobh.

Unless I am mistaken, the architect for external conservation works in the 1990s at Cobh Cathedral was a gentleman called David Slattery.