A STEEPLEJACK has been scaling the heights of All Saints’ church in Rockwell Green to see what work may need to be carried out to the spire.

Parochial Church Council vice-chairman Tony Setter said staff from Weston-super-Mare based firm Dawsons Steeplejacks had been put off four times due to wet weather or excessively windy conditions.

But they arrived last week following a five-yearly architect’s inspection and reports of water getting into the structure. The church is now waiting for a report to see what work needs doing before obtaining estimates to see how much it will cost.

The tower is 60ft high with an octagonal spire of 40ft above that covered in thousands of 12in x 3in oak shingles and on top of that a 10ft weather vane, which is also a lightning conductor.

Tony said: “The weather vane is causing an issue because of its seating on the spire, which will need to be repaired fairly quickly.

“I am waiting for a report on the wooden shingles – the spire was put up in 1908 and some of the shingles and nails would be original, although it was patched in 2007.”

The church was built from the middle of the 1890s and completed in the early 1900s with the spire added later.

An appeal to refurbish the spire was launched at the end of March and several successful events have taken place with more planned.

The church is likely to seek grants from organisations which support the maintenance of historic buildings.

It is not listed, unlike many of its local counterparts, which Tony said could be a double-edged sword – it may be easier to carry out small works but more difficult to obtain grants, as providers can be more interested in older buildings than newer ones.