St. Helen's Church - Maintenance Part V

A clump of daisies in the path that runs through St. Helen's churchyard

The public footpath that runs through St. Helen's churchyard presents yet another problem of maintenance. The Greenmoor Rock in South Yorkshire gained a national reputation for its high quality paving; however, although this stone would have been readily available, a flaggy variety of ’Rotherham Red' sandstone has been used instead here for crazy paving.

A view of  the path in St. Helen's churchyard

Although Rotherham Red sandstone is a moderately durable general building stone, it is not suitable as a paving stone. In winter, the flaggy beds – which contain a high proportion of silt – are susceptible to delamination due to the freeze-thaw process and a large number of individual paving stones have decayed to such an extent that they form shallow potholes, which are full of fine mud and small lumps of degrading stone.

A detail of frost damage in the winter of 2017/2018

Over time, with no manpower or resources to keep the paths cleaned and well maintained, these potholes have been colonised by grass, various weeds and - this year - clumps of daisies. If the paths have not been swept of leaves, dead flowers and branches, they can be unseen and present a general trip hazard to anyone who passes through the churchyard.

A view of the path in late May 2018

With there being a large concentration of potholes in the area outside the church porch, anyone wearing high heels at a wedding, baptism or any of the other church services that still take place here are particularly at risk from a sprained ankle or a similar injury.

Potholes in St. Helen's churchyard

Attempts have been made to repair many sections in the path - using concrete - but this has failed in places and is not appropriate for a Grade I Listed building in a Conservation Area.

The path through St. Helen's churchyard

The guidance notes produced by the Diocese of Sheffield for the maintenance of closed churchyards clearly state that the responsibility for repair lies with the local authority and, with various other paths and walls also needing considerable attention, it is quite clear that these duties are being neglected by Rotherham MBC in Treeton.

Weathering of flagstones in St. Helen's churchyard