Lucy and Mark from DIA at the Chapels of Rest

I had my first actual meeting in ages this morning and luckily it was being held only a couple of hundred yards away up the hillside. I’ve been a trustee of Stroud Preservation Trust since about 2005 and recently we awarded a contract for our latest project, a feasibility study for the Chapels of Rest in Stroud Cemetery.

The winners were a renowned firm of architects from Bath in Wiltshire who describe themselves as ‘an award-winning architectural practice and historic buildings consultancy, specialising in the care, repair, adaptation and conservation of historic buildings, as well as designing new buildings for sensitive sites. For over 60 years, we have pioneered a creative approach to conservation, centred on the belief that change is continuous and buildings are, in effect, ‘alive’.

Today Lucy, who is the project manager, and her colleague Mark came to view the property for the first time. They’d already commissioned an external condition survey using a drone which had been carried out yesterday.

Camilla and Hugh, who are two of my fellow trustees, came to show them how to get into the building and then we gave them a swift tour before we left them to start work. It was a fun meeting with easy laughter, which I always appreciate. We all expect it to take about six months. 

You can see the outline of the project on our website here with both interior and exterior pictures.

Just before we left I grabbed a couple of pictures inside one of the chapels. I’m pleased with my new lens as it has enabled me to get much better results in the rather dark interior than I’d managed formerly, probably because of the very good lens stabilisation.