Common questions
Do churches need lightning protection?
Many do, and they reach that conclusion more readily than their size suggests. BS EN 62305-2 counts loss of cultural heritage as a category of loss in its own right, and a church tower or spire is usually the tallest isolated structure in its immediate area. Church insurers commonly expect protection to be in place and tested.
Will a lightning conductor damage the stonework?
It should not, and avoiding that is most of the design work. Fixings are placed into mortar joints rather than through dressed stone wherever possible, conductor routes follow existing vertical lines so the eye does not pick them out, and materials are chosen so they weather rather than staining the fabric below.
Do we need consent to install lightning protection on a listed building?
Normally yes. Work to a listed building generally needs listed building consent, and a church in use for worship may go through the faculty jurisdiction or its denomination’s equivalent instead. We agree the conductor route and fixing details before consent is sought, because that route is the thing being approved.
Can you work on spires and towers without a full scaffold?
Usually. Braileys began as a steeplejack business and roped access to spires, towers and chimneys is our original trade. On a tall narrow structure a scaffold can cost more than the lightning protection system itself, so we select access to suit the structure.
How often should a church system be tested?
On the same eleven month cycle as any other system. Churches carry two extra risks worth watching: bell frames and clock mechanisms that need bonding, and repair work carried out by other trades that disturbs conductors without anyone recording it.
