Case Study: St Mary de Lode Church

St Mary de Lode Church is an Anglican church immediately outside the grounds of Gloucester Cathedral. It is believed by some to be on the site of the first Christian church in Britain and is Grade I listed by English Heritage and dates from the 11th Century.

The Norman tower is connected to the nave by a Norman arch and a thirteenth century arch to the chancel. The fractures and misalignment indicated a separation of the outer skins of the walls and an overloading by the tower walls at higher level.

The solution was to drill and insert Cintec anchors from outside the church, requiring very accurate measurement and setting out to ensure correct alignment for both line and level. 16mm diameter Cintec anchors 8 metres long were installed in pairs across both arches in 65mm diameter holes using dry-drilling techniques. This ancient church was restored to structural integrity without any impact on the appearance.