plaster on the internal face of the south wall has been a problem since the Charity took over the building in 2004. The plaster was soft and crumbling and despite annual, or even biannual, patching and repainting it was a losing battle. It was believed that the whole thickness of the solid wall had become damp from traffic spay and the prevailing weather. The other three walls of the building are not affected in the same way.
Despite removing the sand-cement render on the external face of the wall in 2014 and replacing with breathable lime, the interior wall showed no sign of improvement. It was eventually decided in 2019 that the only option was wholesale removal of the interior sand-cement and patch repairs. Once the Old Bluecoat School (OBS) was shut to hirers and contractors were mobilised there was relatively little extra time and expense in doing a tough job by replastering the entire wall. Installation of flashing to the external window sills and rendering of the external plinth stonework also improved resistance to rain penetration.
The OBS was closed in January 2020 for an expected four to six weeks to do the work and allow time for the new lime plaster to dry. Unfortunately the new plaster was thicker than expected and the underlying wall was damper, so the OBS had to be closed for 12 weeks. Thanks are due to Thatcham Town Council, the Parish Hall and Brimpton Primary School who provided space for our displaced hirers. Tenders were sought from several firms, and Ellis and Co of Shepton Mallet were chosen; based on a competitive price and their previous knowledge of the OBS. Ellis and Co carried out the external building refurbishment in 2014.
The exterior walls of the OBS are faced entirely with flints. However, the interior face of the wall turned out to be a mixture of flints, medieval sized bricks and random bits of stone. Possibly the medieval contactor took the opportunity to economise on materials where it would not be seen ! Perhaps the interior face of the Chapel was always rendered?
Record photographs of the exposed wall were taken by Dr Nick Young of Thatcham Historical Society before the wall was re-plastered. Below are some photographs from the replastering project.
