St Mary's Church Eastham - Repair and Rebuilding of Boundary Wall

The Church of St Marys Eastham is located the centre of Eastham Village with its main gate facing onto the Eastham Village Cross. A secondary entrance can be found to the South of the Church along Church Lane. The church is listed Grade II. Also on the site is an ancient Yew tree which was reported to be in existence in 1152. In addition the churchyard contains the war graves of fourteen service personnel of World War I, and a Merchant Navy officer of World War II. The church also sits within the Conservation Area Boundary of Eastham Village. The proposed works concerns only the boundary wall. Works is required to address a number of section of the wall which have a substantial lean, and pose a risk of collapse. Detailed survey and investigation has been carried out by Wirral Council Structural Engineers, who have identified 2 areas (Section C-E). The exact cause of the subsidence is not known for sure, but suspected a combination of water build up and tree root growth to be the most likely factors. As such the areas of wall require careful demolition and rebuilding using the same stones, but including the improved substructure and drainage measures as proposed by the Structural Engineer. There is also some associated repointing and metal work replacement to the steps handrails. The proposals have been granted Faculty Consent.