Site visit diary: Repairs are underway at St Michael & All Angels', Gwernesney, Monmouthshire. Last week we met with the architect, contractor and engineer to discuss the work. The project was instigated by the need for structural repairs to a decayed timber roof truss. #

The woodwork embedded in the wall had rotted. As a result the surrounding stonework was displaced. The project team has devised a flitch-plate repair: embedding a steel plate into the timber to restore structural integrity and retain as much historic woodwork as possible. 2/

The coping stones are mixture of local Callow red sandstone, a brown-green Forest of Dean sandstone and… eh, some concrete slabs. Many slabs are face-bedded, meaning the stone is delaminating. We must replace several of these, and reuse the existing wherever they are sound. 3/

The walling of this Old Red Sandstone church dates to the 13th century, and the masonry is bedded in a beautiful, fine, soft pink lime-mortar. The contractor, Taliesin, will be replicating this mortar for their new work. 4/

Other than discussing repairs, site visits always reveal little moments of delight. Last week at Gwernesney, these included some fleshy, peppery pennywort sprouting from cracks; a tiny green carpet month tucked under the eaves… 5/

… a perfect iron spiral with traces of iron-oxide; the low winter sun finding its way through the gaps in the scaffold hoarding to sparsely illuminate the altar. 6/6