Kennington Vertical Bar railings installed at Guildford’s oldest church

Located in Guildford, St. Mary’s Church is thought to be the town’s oldest church, dating back to Saxon times. The church was built in various stages over a course of roughly 300 years, starting in the year 950 and the later parts built in 1250.

The interior of the Guildford church saw major changes in the Georgian times, and again in the Victorian times, including some new windows that are still present at the church today along with a more modern window from 2003. Other remaining pieces of history include some brassware dated at around 1500 and some fragments of wall paintings from the Saxon era and the 1200s.

St. Mary’s Church is unusually located on a hillside with a considerable fall on one side and has been without a secure boundary for many years.

Alpha Rail was appointed by Stone Edge Conservation (info@secl.co.uk) to manufacture and install 61 linear metres of Kennington Vertical Bar railings, specified by Thomas Ford & Partners Architects. This would provide a boundary demarcation to the site that was fitting to the time period and aesthetics of the church.

All materials were galvanised to BS EN ISO 1461 followed by a polyester powder coated finish in RAL 9005 black.

Commenting on the project, Paul Evans of Stone Edge Conservation said: “This was a second phase of works that SECL were awarded at St. Mary’s Church. Last year we undertook the full external refurbishment to the Tower and chancel end. Works comprised of full removal of cement-based pointing and introduction of a lime-based mortar similar to what would’ve been applied historically.”

More examples of vertical bar railings can be viewed on our products page. If you have an upcoming project requiring metal railings, gates and bespoke architectural metalwork, our Sales team are always on hand to discuss requirements. They are reachable by phone on 01623 750 214 or by email at websales@alpharail.co.uk.