STATELY FANE

Rotorua Morning Post, Volume 2, Issue 410, 20 December 1932, Page 6

STATELY FANE

LINCOLN CATHEDRAL SAVED BY PROMPT REPAIRS. Lincoln, Saturday. The complete restoration of Lincoln Cathedral has at last been achieved, and on Tuesday the Duke and Duchess of York will attend a thanksgiving i ervice here. The work has occupied longer than was at first anticipated; it has cost far more than the original estimata, but it can now be claimed that as far as possible the safety of the cathedral has been secured. The repairs have cured ills which had accumulated over a very long period. In tlre twelfth century the cathedral was partly destroyed by fire and later, split by an earthquake. In tlie thirteenth century the centre lower eollapsed, and in 1547-8 the fq.dre of the centre tower came down and caused further damage. The cumulative effect of these disasters and the repairs which did not cure, and in some cases accentuated, the movement of the building caused wide eraclcs to appear in several parts of the fabric. Prompt action had to be taken by the Dean and Chapter in 1922 to prerorve the cathedral. At first it was thought that the work could be done i.or £50,000, but when tbe full extent cf tbe disintegration xwas realised it was obvious that more than twice that amount would be needed. The actual restoration has cost about £130,000, and only the use of the most up-to-date and scientific machinery has, resiricted the cost-to this sum. On the advice of the late Sir Francis Fox, as consulting engineer, a system of grouting by means of compnessed air was adopted. About 11,000 cubic feet of grout has been pumped into the fabric and more than 13,000 stones have been cut from tbe cathedral's own quarry to displace old masonry. A considerable part of tbe cost has been subscribed by American citizens. When the late Dean Fry visited America he received a warrn welcome and a generous response to his appeals, which resulted in more than £30,000 peing added to the funds. This money was earmarked for the work on the centre tower, which in its restored condition stands as a monument to the generosity of Americans of all creeds and classes. There have also been many special gifts from the same nation. The grant of £20,000 from the Pilgrim Trust when the funds were exhausted enabled the work to be completed.