Sensitive restoration and essential repair work to a Grade II* Listed church.
Bow Church, a Grade II* listed building dating back to the early 14th century and the oldest structure in Bow, has seen numerous changes over the centuries—including damage from a direct bomb strike in WWII.
The restoration focused on urgent repairs to both the internal and external fabric of the church, which had been listed on Historic England’s ‘Buildings at Risk Register.’ Works included brick and stone cleaning, repointing, lime render repairs, lead roof upgrades, stained-glass window restoration, new accessible toilet facilities, and an access ramp.
The project followed nearly a year of meticulous planning and coordination, particularly due to the church’s unique location—on an island site between the A11 and A12, two of East London’s busiest Red Routes. With over 30,000 vehicles passing daily, we worked closely with Transport for London to arrange temporary lane closures, suspend a nearby bus stop, and create a delivery drop-off zone in collaboration with a neighbouring Catholic church.
Borras entered into the project at St Mary’s Bow in a true spirit of collaboration, with a full understanding of the complex issues involved in dealing with the combination of new interventions and historic building conservation work to this significant Grade II* listed building. Management of the works on site was exemplary, with the site manager going above and beyond the role expected in order to ensure that relationships with the church community were excellent throughout, and that the project ran smoothly to a successful conclusion.
Alex Sherratt, Matthew Lloyd Architects
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