St. Nicholas, Uphill, Somerset

Alone on a hill above the Roman port of Axium, this Norman church has a central tower, chancel, unroofed nave and a north porch sheltering a Norman doorway. The chancel was restored in 1846 by Thomas Knytton of Uphill Castle. The stiff climb to it is well rewarded, not least by the view over the marshes and the Bristol Channel.

Minerva’s work here has involved a range of conservation procedures including large scale re-ordering of the interior of which was completely lined with impermeable diamond-hard cement which we removed, then left the sodden medieval stonework to breathe for a few weeks before re-plastering the interior with 3 coat work and later limewashing to suit