Cathedral gate repairs could cost £100,000

THE cost of repairing the gate outside Peterborough Cathedral left mangled when a car rammed into it last week is likely to be almost £100,000.

A painstaking repair operation has been launched to piece together timber panels left shattered by the impact, with specialist conservator Hugh Harrison engaged to do the meticulous reconstruction.

But first the damaged half of the medieval gate – thought to be the oldest working one in England – will have to be carefully hoisted from the archway and transported to Mr Harrison's workshop in Devon.

Cathedral architect, Julian Limentani, said the heavy oak structure would have to be lifted free mechanically.

He said: "We will need to find someone that can do what is a very difficult operation in a very confined space, lifting between one and two tons of gate without damaging it further.

"It will need some form of lifting gear, but what, we are not 100 per cent sure at present."The gate was damaged in an apparent freak accident last Thursday involving the elderly male driver of a Volkswagen Polo, who lost control of the vehicle.

He was thought to have been heading away from the cathedral precincts and towards Cathedral Square when his vehicle struck a bollard and then the open gate, damaging two low wooden panels and a vertical piece known as a stile.

Mr Limentani said the panels had been broken into bits, but in a procedure more like something from TV scenes-of-crime drama CSI, the fragments were kept where they had fallen and protected with a hoarding.

They have since been photographed in situ by a member of Mr Harrison's staff so they can be put back together like a jigsaw puzzle later.

Mr Limentani said: "The vertical stile where the gates meet has been smashed completely and the first two panels at the low level have been turned into matchwood, so the damage is quite extensive."

But the stile was replaced in the 19th century anyway, so we will replace that again with a new piece of wood and then piece together the 13th century timbers which make up the panels.

"Some of the framing at the back of the door, which is diagonal, almost brace-type framing, has also come off and some of that has been damaged, so that will have to be repaired as well, but that should be the majority of it."

Mr Limentani said nine pieces of stone had been dislodged in the bizarre shunt, most of which would be put back.

Also damaged was some ironwork which blocks the gap between the wall and the gate when it is open, preventing people from slipping into the space to answer the call of nature.

He added: "We think it's going to be close to £100,000. But one of the things we are hoping to do is some dendrochronology (timber dating) to find out precisely the date of the gate, which is known to be at least 13th century, if not 12th."

Police are still investigating the collision and have not brought any charges.

From: Peterboroughtoday.co.uk