Medieval Staircase Repairs Win the 2016 SPAB's Betjeman Award

Sensitive conservation work to a unique 15th-century staircase at St Michael and All Angels at Bishop’s Cleeve in Gloucestershire has won the prestigious 2016 SPAB John Betjeman Award.

The unusual English oak staircase is a remarkable piece of medieval engineering and is one of the Grade I listed church’s most-loved features

The staircase at St Michael and All Angels is both beautiful and functional but needed to be stabilised to ensure its continued use. Craftsmen Cameron and Daniel Stewart, working with timber expert Hugh Harrison and the parish’s architect, Peter Gilbert-Scott of John Falconer Associates, made new panels for the outside of the stair using English oak. The handrail was stabilised, making the staircase feel safer. A metal ‘shoe’ was inserted into the wall to ensure that the beam holding the upper part of the staircase was properly supported. New wood was also skilfully inserted into the gaps in the treads. This rare and important survivor is now safe to continue in regular use.

The staircase is the only access to the bell-ringing chamber so is an essential part of the musical life of the church and the community are delighted that it has been repaired. Ann Jessop, a member of the Parochial Parish Council, says: 'Our medieval oak staircase was in a hidden corner. Even Nikolaus Pevsner, the author of architecture guides, did not find it! Our congregations were privileged to witness the transformation taking place, bringing to life this 15th century part of our history.'

The SPAB’s annual award honours the memory of poet, church enthusiast, conservation campaigner and SPAB member Sir John Betjeman and is made for outstanding repairs to the fabric of places of worship in England and Wales completed in the last 18 months.