The
Friends
meet
p
e
r
i
o
d
i
c
a
l
l
y
,
a
p
p
r
o
x
i
m
a
t
e
l
y
monthly,
at
7:00pm,
usually
in
the
Community
Room
at
the
Church,
to
plan
and
organise
fundraising
and
other
events
and
to
discuss
funding
needs.
There
is
no
fixed
committee
membership
so
if
you
would
like
to
be
involved
just
give
us
a call and turn up!
For
information
on
church
events,
service
times,
contact
details
and
for
all
other
church
matters,
please
visit
St Mary’s
church
website
at
A Church
Near You.
Next Meeting
.
The
next
meeting
will
be
held
on
Thursday
12th
November
2026
at
Bacton
Manor
starting
at
7.00pm.
Everybody
welcome.
Minutes
of
the
last
and
all
previous
meetings
and
Treasurer’s
reports
can
be
found
in the Archive
.
The
Friends
of
St
Mary’s,
Bacton
is
a
registered
Charity
No
1106579.
By
using
this
site
you
agree to our
Terms and Conditions
Site by Andy
Last updated
10th November 2026
Project: North Wall Subsidence
Project Start Date: October 2020
Objective:
•
Investigate causes of subsidence occurring on the north side of the church.
•
Monitor the movement of the walls over a period of time.
•
Propose remedial strategy and obtain quotations for remedial works.
Background:
For some time, a crack has been evident between the north aisle wall and the tower and has been getting progressively
worse. Since 2018, measurements have been recorded to quantify the amount of movement and these have confirmed
the urgent need to address the problem.
Budget:
No budget has been set.
The Friends have made a grant to the PCC of £3,778 to cover the work up to the point of movement monitoring.
Current Progress:
Contractors Flow ‘n’ Go were engaged to carry out an initial inspection of the drainage system using a camera and this
was completed at the end of October 2020. The drain adjacent to the downpipe at the tower end of the north wall was
excavated revealing the junction between the downpipe and the ring drain and an entry made for the camera. On
inspection, only a short distance down the ring drain it was obvious that it was full of water.
Currently, movement of the walls is being monitored by the PCC, with measurements being taken at regular intervals.
This information will be passed to The Morton Partnership who have been engaged by the PCC to carry out the
investigative work and prepare documentation to allow quotations to be obtained.
The Morton Partnership’s current contract concludes with the recommendation of a contractor to carry out the remedial
works.
The Friends previously granted £4,000 to fund a survey and investigation which produced a very comprehensive report
with recommendations from which it is clear that considerable funding will be needed to complete the work.
Exceptionally dry weather, in 2026 in particular, has accelerated the movement of the wall which has now moved
outwards to the extent that the roof beams are barely being supported. The danger of a catastrophic roof collapse,
together with the periodic falls of pieces of masonry, have necessitated the closure of the church.
The Friends have made a further grant of £2,500 for Fran Adnams to design scaffolding to support the roof in the event
of further outward movement of the wall and for the provision of fencing to be placed in the north aisle allowing the
church to be opened safely again.
Our attention, and that of the PCC, must now be focused on the mammoth task of raising the six figure sum required to
undertake a permanent repair which now looks likely to include both steel bracing to tie the north wall back to the nave
and underpinning to correct existing subsidence and prevent recurrence in the future.
First look into drain clearly shows it
full of water and silt. (Best viewed full screen)
