Inside a high-level spire clean: how we approached an unusual job
Most of our high-level work is on industrial cladding, factory steelwork, or warehouse roof structures. So when a heritage building called us in to deal with their stone spire and adjacent stained-glass elevations, the brief came with a different set of constraints.
The challenge
- A historic building with no scaffold-bearing capacity at ground level
- Conservation restrictions: no chemical run-off into the stonework
- A two-day weekend window: services Sunday morning, no overnight equipment on-site
- Existing scaffold poles surrounding the spire that we couldn’t disturb
How we approached it
Access: A truck-mounted MEWP with 35m reach, positioned on the only stable surface within range. IPAF certifications across the team, plus a separate ground-level safety supervisor watching the boom radius for pedestrian risk.
Method: Hand cleaning with neutral pH solutions agreed with the conservation advisor. No high-pressure water — too risky against historic stone. Slow, careful work with multiple passes.
Sequencing: Spire faces cleaned in order of wind exposure, so we could match the lift cycle to weather windows across the Saturday.
What we delivered
- Full clean of the spire stonework, leadwork, and gargoyle details
- Before-and-after photographic record for the conservation file
- Off-site by Sunday lunchtime, services unaffected
- A risk assessment and method statement now archived for the next clean
Why we keep doing these jobs
Heritage and high-level work is where the right access equipment, the right team, and the right insurance all matter — and where the wrong contractor causes very expensive damage. We’re not the cheapest option for these. We are the one you can hand the job to and stop worrying about it.