The Historic Heart of Gainsborough Townscape Heritage Initiative (THI) supports the SPAB’s 2021 National Maintenance Week

The Historic Heart of Gainsborough THI is managed by West Lindsey District Council with the backing of the National Lottery Heritage Fund. The £1.96m investment in historic buildings and associated community engagement activities seeks to improve the standard of repair, maintenance and appearance of properties within the Town Centre Conservation Area of Gainsborough.  The focus area is Lord Street and the Market Place.

The Gainsborough THI team is, once again, keen to support The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ (SPAB) 2021 National Maintenance Week.  This runs from 19-26 November.  More information and downloadable toolkits are available at https://www.spab.org.uk/campaigning/maintenance-matters

Why Maintain?

The best way to ensure that your building is performing well (and of avoiding the need for expensive repairs and redecoration) is to maintain it properly.

With COP 26 in mind, a well maintained and dry building also has better thermal performance than a damp one.  Proactive and planned maintenance always makes more sense than reactive repair.

Avoidance of blockages and leaks will help to prevent water penetration, in turn reducing the damaging effects of damp and rot. This applies to any age of building, whatever its purpose – so it could be in relation to houses, shops, offices, schools, scout huts or sports pavilions.

The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings top ten tips for National Maintenance Week:

• Look for blocked downpipes (best done during heavy rain to see water coming from any leaky joints – in dry weather look for stained brickwork)
• Check ground level gullies and drains to make sure they are clear of debris like and have them cleaned out if necessary
• Every autumn, clear any plants, leaves and silt from gutters, hopperheads, flat roofs and drainage channels. It’s a good idea to do this in spring too to deal with anything that might have found its way into the wrong place
• Remove potentially damaging vegetation from behind downpipes by cutting back or removing the plant altogether
• Use a hand mirror to look behind rainwater pipes as splits and cracks in old cast iron and aluminium often occur here and are not easily noticed
• Fit bird/leaf guards to the tops of soil pipes and rainwater outlets to prevent blockages
• Have gutters re-fixed if they are sloping the wrong way or discharging water onto the wall
• If sections are beyond repair, make sure that replacements are made of the same material as the originals (on older houses, this is sometimes lead, but more usually cast iron)
• Regular painting of cast iron is essential to prevent rust
• Don’t undertake routine maintenance work at high level unless you are accompanied and have suitable equipment. If in doubt always seek help from a professional.

Take a close look at the rainwater goods on this side of the Town Hall and see how many issues you can spot which require attention!