THE
CHURCH OF
ST MARY
HAPPISBURGH
You haved asked us to give you a broad indication
of the financial loss if the St Mary's Church, Happisburgh, were
to be lost as a result of the encroachment of the sea.
We do not intend to describe the building in
detail, but have taken the liberty of enclosing a copy of a pamphlet,
written by the late Reverend Charles L S Linnell, which was published
in 1960.
Whilst we are not quantity surveyors, in order
to produce a broad indication of the cost of rebuilding the Church
we have applied some of the same principles, cross-checking with
other substantial buildings of merit within our experience.
1. We estimate that the cost of re-constructing
the tower, on a fresh site, using traditional materials, would
be in the order of £1,400,000 (one million four hundred thousand
pounds).
2. We estimate that the cost of rebuilding
the walls of the Church, including the internal columns and arches
would cost in the order of £2,500,000 (two million five hundred
thousand pounds).
3. We estimate that the cost of constructing
and covering the roof would be in the order of £700,000 (seven
hundred thousand pounds).
4. To excavate the foundations and lay the
floor, (the current floor is a mixture of materials) we have allowed
the sum of £900,000 (nine hundred thousand pounds).
This gives a total sum of £5,500,000 (five
million five hundred thousand pounds).
We have ignored the value of internal fittings,
including the bells, on the presumption that if the receding cliffs
were within yards of the Church, the parishioners would remove
such items, regardless of the requirements of the Diocese!
During our inspection we reviewed the position
of the sea defences. The late 1950s sea defences would seem to
be obsolete. The damage inflicted by the sea last winter appears
to have eroded the coastline by between six and, in the worst
case, 15 metres. It also appears that there will be no adequate
protection for the coastline in time for this winter and the pessimistic
view must be that there is a risk of erosion on this scale continuing.
The Church is currently just over 100 metres from the edge of
the cliff.
The Church is an important feature on the landscape.
The guide book highlights the significance of the Fifteenth Century
West Tower, which at 110 feet is ". . . one of the highest
of the great towers of this district." Other factors not
readily capable of valuation are the historical importance of
the Church, the burial ground for a number of ship-wrecked mariners
and, indeed, the views of relations of parishioners buried in
the churchyard, who may be unhappy that the graveyard could be
washed away.
We trust this report is of assistance in your
negotiations with the North Norfolk District Council.
This report is written for the benefit of the
Norfolk Churches Trust in making representation to the North Norfolk
District Council. The terms of our instructions specifically state
that a detailed inspection and report is not required, and we
are aware that you have dicussed the contents of this report with
your other professional advisors with our consent.
11 October 1996
