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the structure was a timber frame, the church did not burn to the
ground. The charring penetrated the lower posts and girts to a depth
of 1.5" or less, and parts of the walls were declared sound.
A team of architects, engineers, contractors, and Acorn Timber
Frames (now TimberhArt Woodworks) as well as other Nova Scotian
craftspeople worked in close consultation with heritage groups,
historians and the Church's congregation. The challenge was to
restore the Church similar to its original designwhile meeting
modern day building codes. |
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| Sourcing
Materials When timber framer Daniel Reagan of Acorn Timber Frames (now TimberhArt Woodworks) went searching for the heavy timbers to rebuild the church, he spent a lot of time climbing trees. He was able to find enough #1 pine in Nova Scotia for all the timber. When small wood lot owners were asked for their crooked trees, they looked at us with small smiles and shook their head until we explained that the trees were for a dome roof. Since the province is windy, we were able to locate the ninety naturally-curved timbers. When we told Rev. Gary Thorne that the timber needed for the spoke girt to support the 40 ton dome was coming from a place called Hell's Gate, he laughed and said, "We believe in transformation." This timber, 11 x 14", 46' long and over 195 years old, was a seedling when the original church was completed. Too long for any sawmill in the province, it was milled in the woods with an Alaskan chainsaw mill. |
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A crew of four timber framers were on site for the summer, repairing the existing timber frame structure. Two posts (32' high at the front entrance) were replaced,and other posts with varying amounts of damage were spliced into and repaired. Some repairs and reinforcing were required for the first balcony, while the top balcony into which the new dome would tie, was totally replaced.Back at the shop, an hour's drive away, the estimated 2,200 hours of joinery for the dome roof was under way. |
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| As a crew was assembling the 46' dome rafter (with 35 different joint connections into the spoke girt) at the beamery, another crew was on site pre-assembling the 17' posts on the other spoke rafter bents. (We had to invent some names for the many pieces!) The only place to pre-assemble them was in the sloped church courtyard on top of the temporary concrete piers. The spoke bents were then stacked 15' high in two piles on the lawn of the house next door! Then the primary 46' bent was assembled and raised. The other bents were craned in one at a time until the last one was snugged into place on the first try. (Thank you to those who watch over timberwrights!) |  |
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Time
Capsule |
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| Throughout the process of restoring Saint George's Church, the rich history of timber framing, forged by the skilled craftsman of two centuries ago, was uncovered for us to study and to learn. Many timber frames standing today are centuries old, and they are testimony to this most durable and versatile form of building. It was a real honour to rebuild a church with the restoration team and all the Nova Scotian craftspeople involved and to continue the tradition of timber joineryfrom yesteryear. |
| Donations
for the restoration may be sent to:
Saint
George's Restoration |
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Left: Ceremonial pegging of the first bent performed by Bekah Regan. The peg was signed by the daughter of Mary and Edward Wood, who were married at Saint George's in 1904. Right: Assembling the 46-footer on the lofting deck: Thirty-five joint connections are in this one timber, part of an eight-foot curved rafter. |
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The
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