The High Altar wrapped in polythene to protect it The forrest of scaffolding and planks More scaffolding The organ wrapped in polythene to protect it The Sanctuary After all our work in restoring the Stations of the Cross, we have to make sure they are protected just now. The Sanctuary from above. Close to the top! The work gives an opportunity to get up into the cuploas which we usually only see from floor level. Here we are looking southwards towards Tollcross with the spire of Barclay Church of Scotland dominating the skyline Eastwards towards Arthur's Seat Eastwards towards Edinburgh College of Art Northwards towards Edinburgh Castle Sunday Mass in the Hall - Fr Jim Henderson who joined the Jesuit Community in Summer 2003 and is Assisting Priest in the Parish is Celebrant.

12 Octber 2003 UPDATE ON REPAIRS TO THE CHURCH CEILING - SEPTEMBER 2003 Works to the ceiling in the Church commenced as planned with the erection of scaffolding to the whole church from Monday, September 15, 2003. Preliminary inspections of the ceiling area accessible at the west end indicate that the plaster, whilst cracked, is in generally good condition for its age. Some screw fixing may be required but the plasterwork will generally be retained after fine filling. John Addison, structural engineer, has inspected crack patterns at the cupolas. It has been decided to open up a ‘head sized’ hole in both cupolas to enable inspection of the support rings to these structures. This is to ensure that they have not been destabilised by the works carried out to repair roof trusses some 8 years ago. Anaglypta wall paper on the west wall over the altar has debonded from the substrate and will now be removed. This will offer an opportunity to view the remains of the mural painted on the over-altar wall in past times. It is the intention that this wall should be repapered and painted. Decorative lettering will be reinstated. Flaking and friable paint will be removed from the vaults before the surfaces are sanded, filled, primed and repainted in a colour to exactly match the existing. It is anticipated that all works will be completed by the end of November Pippa Somner RIBA ARIAS LLB Partner SMITHS GORE KEEPING AFLOAT 24/25 May 2003 You read last week of some of the areas where alterations and improvements are still required to further enhance the status of this church building. For the past 10 years when an extensive survey of the Church was undertaken. there seems to ha~e been an endless procession of Surveyors. Architects. Builders and Art Conservators all brining with them their expertise and advice. Finally decisions are made and Projects undertaken. One result is that the Church now enjoys A listed status. Sometimes a Project can be viewed as unsatisfactory in that the end product cannot be visualised and enjoyed. such as has been the case in the curing of dry rot and upgrading of the Church fabric. But occasionally, one has the satisfaction of seeing from day to day the professional achievements of a Project such as in the Conservation of the Stations of the Cross. Certainly though smaller in Project size. the same can be said of the recent installation of CCIV and the upgrading of our now excellent sound system. Both of these. though costly. have been of enormous. benefit both directly and indirectly. Nothing can be achieved however without expense of some nature as we all know from daily living. Annual Accounts are produced. and from time to time in the Newsletter actual figures illustrating specific cost are highlighted. It is appreciated however that for most people, Accounts of any kind are not for them and that as long as everything is ticking over and one is in the black, little or no interest at allis generated. It is necessary’ however to enlighten you as to how the enormous achievements of the past 10 years have been accomplished financially, and how it is planned that future Projects are to he tackled. Bear in mind too, that dropping the l0am Mass to accord with the Diocesan Guidelines means a fall in our weekly income by about £100. Though this is not an issue for too much concern. it would be more of a worry if there were not contingencies. For the first quarter of this year. our weekly Income on average has been £1476.95 and our weekly Expenditure approximately £1689.65, a difference of £212.70. As already mentioned. were it not other contingencies, we would be. soon in a very sorry situation. Much of the money received is considered ‘Funds of others’ such as all Diocesan collections to name only a few. What we call our own money comes from Sunday collections (15% of which is clawed back by the Archdiocese), money generated from Candles and CTS pamphlets and papers. and also the monthly collection for Maintenance. This income has to cover many items of Expenditure i.e. papers, books, candles, everything to adorn the altar. Wages and Salaries which is about to increase due to a new position being created - that of Music Co-ordinator. It also includes Insurance, heating and lighting, all repairs and maintenance, travel, hospitality, stationery and post and the list goes on and on. Thanks to your constant generosity and also from unexpected sources such as legacies or donations, we have kept afloat, and at present are well in credit. It should be mentioned here that since we have the hall free of the Stations, income is now being generated from extensive renting of the premises. Now to the figures which might surprise you. 1st - Cost of all repairs to the Building, from the very outset in 1993 and grants from Historic Scotland to enable us to persevere to completion. 2nd - the cost of the Restoration of the Stations of the Cross and the grants received from HLT to enable that Project to reach fruition. 1 Building Repairs including all Fees and VAT @ 17.5% = £707,454.48 To cover this the Jesuit Province donated = £184,450.00 Scottish Architectural Fund = £ 4,000.00 VAT Refund for Stages 4 & 5 = £ 18,061.89 Historic Scotland pre 2002 = £28,2276.00 Historic Scotland 2002 = £ 75,600.00 Total = £564,387.89 Payments made by us from your generosity and mine = £143,066.59 2 The cost of installing a new very much improved Heating system in the Church and the Jesuit House was totally covered by the Jesuit Trustees in London: a princely sum of £331,563.86 which includes VAT at 17.50%. It would not be difficult to imagine what financial difficulty we would have been in if we had had to finance our share ourselves. We certainly owe them an enormous debt of gratitude. 3 Cost of Restoration of the Stations of the Cross and the grants from Heritage Lottery Fund which supported all our endeavours. Income £         Expenditure £ Donations 55,098.06         Restoration 139,440.44 Grant from Jesuit Community 5,000.00         Conservation 64,437.00 Fund Raising activities 6,089.29         Art Move Ltd 6,780.07 Legacies 40,000.00         Scaffold/paint 20,022.27 Interest 3,801.52         Fees 3,994.60 HLT grants 138,423.31         All other costs 5,389.78 248,412.18         240,064.16 Any residual funds from this Project. which were unexpected have simply been redirected into the Investment Fund. which we must always keep topped up for the ongoing improvements discussed in last week’s insert. It was heartening to discover that we did have a small surplus left from our original budget. At the end of April our funds are as follows: Current Account - £ 4,894.85 (for day to day running expenses/topped up by weekly collection) Building Fund - £15,860.61 (For ongoing larger Maintenance costs topped up by 1st Sunday in month collection) Investment - £56,593.02 (For larger Projects/see below) - £77,348.48 How will we fund these ongoing and future Projects? The following costs are approximate and some not finalised. but are well within our present financial capabilities. Restoration of the two small paintings from Our Lady's and St Joseph's chapels     (approx) -£4,000 Garden area (approx) - £1,500 Disabled toilet off corridor (approx) £8,000 Painting of corridors (not quoted yet) Painting of rooms off corridor (paid)- £1,545.13 Flaking of paint from ceiling (to be investigated) Upgrading of Narthex (approx) - £30,000 Toilet at rear of Narthex (still to be quoted) A disabled Audit - our share (paid ) - £246.75 To have achieved what we have in the past is admirable and future ventures never impossible. All we have to do is to have the will to assist in the financial upkeep of this Church which is so alive and active in its Ministry. There are several suggestions how you can help in this area. i) Give as generously as you can on a week to week basis (using Gift Aid if you are a taxpayer) ii) Donate to the Maintenance Fund. (1st Sunday of the Month) iii) Support all fund raising activities as and when they are required to top up any reduction in the investment Fund. (We never want to be in the position of having nothing in the coffers) There are as mentioned earlier, full Accounts at every stage of any job of work and any of you would be most welcome to ask for further details whenever you feet that you would like more details on any particular subject. Thank you for all your generosity and for your attention in this highly important matter. B B Conboy Parish Secretary

Report concerning ongoing upgrading to the Church of the Sacred Heart: 18 May 2003

You possibly will recall earlier reports issued from the Parish Office in February l999, November 1999, April 2000 and September 2001. Those reports were written with the emphasis on what work was in progress at that time: namely the ongoing works to the exterior of the building, the new and improved heating system. and also to the highly ambitious Project of the Restoration and Conservation of the Stations of the Cross. Now that these works have reached completion, it is now time to move forward in our endeavours to further enhance and improve.

Some of these have already been discussed and works are about to commence. These areas are namely:

• Restoration of the two small paintings from Our Lady’ s and St Joseph's chapels.
• Garden area at west end of church. Minimum access and difficult to access.
• Disabled Toilet off Church corridor (where present toilets are)
• Painting Of corridors and old Confessionals after disabled toilet has been installed.
• Flaking paint on ceiling of Church
• Upgrading of the Narthex/ Foyer
• Toilet at back of Narthex/ Foyer with disabled acces.
• A Disabled audit. which will probably lead to other work.

Let us take one item at a time and highlight intentions and plans for each one.

Two small Paintings - The Nativity and the Holy Family. At an earlier meeting of the Finance Group on completion of’ the Stations, it was agreed that Clare Meredith our highly respected Conservator, could take these on board. At present the are being restored in her Studio. and will soon be restored to the Church in their former glory.

Garden -During the works on the west end of the Church it was decided that the garden area be completely cut back. In previous years, due to it never being used, it had become overgrown.

What to do with this area, which has difficult and unsafe access? There were various discussions held and it was decided that in the future it should have a 'tidy' appearance with little maintenance. Tenders are in process of being submitted, and the cheapest and best will he employed to complete this task.

Disabled Toilet off Church Corridor - In accordance with new and strict regulations it has been found necessary to install a disabled toilet where the present laundry room can be found off the corridor alongside the Church. These plans being very necessary, it was decided that these arrangements be implemented immediately. Work therefore commences in June. The present toilets will function as one toilet in view of safety and protection issues.

Painting of corridors and old Confessionals after disabled toilet has been installed. The reason for this being that this area deteriorated during the heating installation.

Flaking Paint on Ceiling of Church — For a few months now it has been noticed that paint is f1aking in certain parts of the ceiling of the Church. Steps have been taken to investigate this. It has been suggested that the reason for this is purely due to the length of time since it was last painted. To be on the safe side though it has been necessary for the Structural Engineer and the Architect to erect a tower scaffold to examine more closely and hopefully confirm that it is only a repainting job which is required. It has now come to light that a certain amount of ceiling plaster repairs has been deemed necessary prior to redecoration.

Upgrading of the Narthex/Foyer - For some time various members of the Congregation have asked " Now that the interior of the Church is looking so well, and the Stations resplendant, what about the Narthex/Foyer". Some have stated "It looks like an advertising agency". "It’s very dark and unimpressive". As we approached the end of the Stations Project thoughts turned to this new smaller Project and the long overdue action in moving the valuable ‘Holyrood Madonna’ from the present dark and unsatisfactory position to a place of prominence in the Narthex.

A well respected Architect who played a part in the Restoration of the Stations, has agreed to undertake this Project and has already prepared a plan of the intended works.

We ask you to have a look at this plan. If you have any comments or observations please direct them to the Parish Priest or through the Parish Secretary.

In this connection. and to discuss the plans in a little more detail and also because any renovation would again involve a little upheaval, a meeting inviting all interested parishioners was held on Thursday 27th February. Ms Pippa Somner, the Architect. kindly came along to speak on all these plans. Only 8 parishioners attended. Nevertheless, a good meeting took place that evening and we were delighted that Maga Maczek was one of the 8 people present. She was especially interested when for the first time, the subject of installing a toilet at the back of the Foyer (I refer you to the plans) was broached. It seemed an inordinately sensible idea to have one in the Church. when the other toilets are more inaccessible.

It is also necessary to have a viable emergency exit. Once Ms Somner has designed the new repository stalls and relocated display boards. the area where the repository items are presently stored, can be very easily utilised for this purpose. Ms Somner already has sent a surveyor to examine the area in question and found it to be quite suitable for conversion. This is very promising and very necessary.

A disabled audit of the whole building has been conducted, so as to eventually comply with the Disability’ Discrimination Act 1995.

Next week I will endeavour to illustrate how the income over the past years has been spent. and attempt to forecast the anticipated costs of some of these intended works. More importantly, how do we in this Parish fund these future works?

If you have any suggestions or comments on any point in this report please do not hesitate to speak to Father Randall or direct them through myself at the Parish Office.

1980s/1990s Works

In early 1987, during Father Beattie's period here as Parish Priest, the Church had a severe problem with roof leaks and an outbreak of dry rot along the wallplate at the right hand side of the roof, beneath a defective lead wallhead gutter.

A wood rot specialist was employed to review the defective gutter and eradicate the wet rot problems.

The main Church roof was repaired where necessary as opposed to being completely stripped and reslated.

In addition, internal refurbishment works commenced in January 1990 and the Project completed by 8th Dec. 1990.

Untimely though it may have been, Father Beattie was appointed Parish Priest at Farm Street London at the beginning of 1991 and sadly had to leave us. The next three years were taken up with full repayment of the outstanding debt for the works which had just been completed

On the completion of these refurbishment works the Church employed Hardies Surveyors to survey the Church Buildings and to prepare an annual survey.

During the Annual Survey in 1993, Hardies discovered a new outbreak of dry rot which had effected the main structural timbers. These structural timbers which are built into the external stonework, had been decaying in an undiscovered state for many years, and it was essential that they be replaced.

In order to deal with the problem, an expert team of consultants as previously advised by Historic Scotland, was assembled to fully investigate the nature of the problem and to identify solutions.

From initial detailed examinations of the Church fabric, it was established by the consultants that a deterioration in the structure with subsequent serious movement, was threatening the building. It was made clear at that stage that the problems should be dealt with as soon as possible.

An application was successfully made to Historic Scotland for grant repairs in view of the relatively high cost of structural repairs. Historic Scotland then examined the building independently and their own report supported the findings and recommendations of our own consultants.

The structural repairs were to be divided into 3 Phases, Phase 1 to be the pilot scheme, dealing with one of the affected trusses, Phase 2 for the remainder of the structural works and Phase 3 for the external repair works. To cure the dry rot, as the Church had such a fine interior it was planned that the structural repairs were to be carried out without too much damage to the plasterwork and decoration. As time went on, and in the course of the Pilot project, it became evident that Truss No 1 was in an unstable condition, and the Structural Engineer considered it prudent to support all the other 9 Trusses prior to any of the structural work being carried out to Truss No 1 . A new contract sum was negotiated with the builders Aitken and Hughes which was acceptable to Historic Scotland.

Historic Scotland eventually saw fit to award us with a very substantial grant of 60% of the total cost £283,276.00. £145276 received already and we await £138000), subject to various conditions attached to the offer of grant; these being that the whole exterior of the building be repaired rather than a tendency to patch up which had often been the case. Action of Phase 1 & 2 that was dealing with the repair of the structural timbers began in earnest in 1995 reaching completion by December 8th 1996 six years to the day from when the refurbishment of the interior had been completed. Phase 3 had to be put into action which dealt with the exterior of the building once Phases 1 & 2 had been completed and part of this work (the north wall) was completed at the end of 1998.

Due to the cash flow problems encountered under Phase 3 by Historic Scotland, the grant could only be paid in specific sums in each financial year. We now await the sum of £138,000 being repaid by Historic Scotland in the Financial Year 2000 - 2001, and once received, subject again to their conditions as mentioned earlier, we can continue with the work of Phase 3 dealing with all repairs to the South, West and East (front facade) walls of the church. This was one of the reasons why the Core Group came into being on the advice of Father Barnett. Its sole aim was, together with the help of the collections on the 1st Sunday of the month, to raise the sum of £55,000; this added to grants from the Jesuit Trust in London, Historic Scotland and the Scottish Architectural Heritage Trust enabled us to cope with the cash flow situation confronting us. Once all the external works are completed, we should end up with a small surplus when all the grant monies have been repaid, but as mentioned, these grants can only be repaid on completion of each Phase of the work. This is the reason why the collection on the 1st Sunday of the month continues to augment the Building Fund which due to the foregoing report, is in existence as a contingency fund. It has been suggested that the 'Building Fund' should now be renamed as a 'Maintenance and Repair Fund'. One main feature of this whole ongoing undertaking being handled in stages, is that the Church has no intention of ever going into unnecessary debt again. We naturally have to ensure that the 'Repairs and Maintenance' Fund or 'Building Fund' is kept topped up in order that the proper upkeep of this immense building can be undertaken. We pay as we go which is a fairly sound principle and as we now have a maintenance programme in place with Hardies surveyors, an occurrence of the appearance of immediate and essential works is not foreseen as in the past.