The chimney stack has been something of a worry. On closer inspection, the top of the stack was found to be structurally unsound and in need of urgent repair and restoration. We couldn’t face the idea of the stack falling down through the rooms below.
The chimney has been pointed in the past with cement. This has badly damaged the brickwork. Historic settlement and the subsidence in 2015 has opened some alarming cracks, especially in the west elevation (see above). The cement flaunching has cracked and made matters worse by enabling water ingress down the entire flue. The state of the flue also suggests it has smoked a lot in the past, the soot being evident on exterior surfaces and within the roof void.
We chose to carefully dismantle and rebuild the chimney using the existing bricks. Dismantling proved to be much easier than expected, the old lime mortar being rotten and now devoid of any strength. The coursing of the bricks and the structure looks as if it was build by a carpenter!
We’ve taken the chimney down to a safe point below the roof line where the mortar is reasonably sound. The bricks have been cleaned and set aside for reuse.
Leigh Hill Progress 