What is Under One Roof?
In 2025 we discovered that our church roof lead on the south side has reached the end of its natural life. Water has been leaking in for some time and some of the timbers are now in a poor condition. There is significant risk to the roof structure and internal ceilings if the work is not carried out soon.
The PCC and Governors are working closely together to raise the funds required to mend the roof and have launched the Under One Roof project.
Partnering with the National Lottery Heritage Fund
The project team have approached the National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) for a grant to cover the bulk of the cost. The initial Expression of Interest was welcomed by the NLHF and we have submitted our Development phase bid.
The NLHF has four investment criteria which projects must meet and we see these as really exciting and challenging opportunities for us as a church to broaden the scope of what we can achieve whilst still doing the key thing of mending the roof.
Our underlying golden thread is to become “a leading exemplar of best practice in heritage interpretation within a living faith setting”.
What are we going to do?
Mend the roof
The current roof lead is 142 years old which is the sort of life expectancy lead has. Over time lead thins and as it heats and cools with the seasons has a tendency to crack. This can be patched for a while but eventually nothing more can be done. Water ingress has damaged the timbers directly below the roof and has now got to the medieval oak trusses. While oak can withstand quite a bit we obviously want to stop any further damage.
The lead will be stripped off, cleaned and melted down and re-rolled giving us back 50% of it. Once the timbers have been assessed, and replaced where necessary, the whole roof (enclosing the stone parapet on the clerk’s room) will be re-leaded.
Opening up the church
A central ambition of the project is to open up parts of the building that have never been publicly accessible.
For the first time, visitors will be able to explore both towers through a new “Two Towers” experience: climbing the South Tower, crossing the roof space to encounter the medieval structure and ancient bell trap, and descending via a newly accessible North Tower. This will create a unique, immersive way to understand how the building was constructed, used and sustained over centuries.
Exploring the churchyard
We also want to explore our churchyard more – finding the lost buildings of the Collegiate College destroyed in the Reformation and telling the stories of the local people (and some notable people) buried there. We have a “green plan” for the churchyard and through historical interpretation and careful planting we will be able to create a meditative and inspiring space.
Build partnerships
Ottery St Mary Parish Church is a significant asset in the wider town. The church has been discussing these plans with lots of relevant organisations. We’ve held an open day and run a public survey. We have involved the Town Council, The Heritage Society, East Devon and Devon Councils, both our schools, the town library, as well as looking wider to Exeter Cathedral, Exeter University and local historians.
Prayer
God of renewal and holy imagination,
who makes all things new and calls your people
to shape spaces of welcome and wonder:
grant us wisdom as we discern the future of this church
In our Under One Roof project
guide our planning, inspire our creativity,
and knit us together in courage, generosity, and hope;
that this house of prayer may reflect your beauty
and serve your mission for generations to come;
through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.