Maintenance Matters – Gutter Cleaning Project

As part of national Maintenance Week, promoted by SPAB (The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings), For Tyldesley offered a free gutter cleaning service for any interested property owners on the high street within the Conservation Area. Owners of 13 properties on Elliott Street signed up and had their gutters cleaned by local contractor, Parklands Ltd. The contractors also conducted a photographic roof survey but found no immediate issues with the roof slates, structure or gutters. They also surveyed three additional properties that were left out due to their poor condition and budget constraints. The works were completed by the end of November 2022 and were within the £5k budget.

This gutter cleaning scheme was so popular that For Tyldesley organised a second round in November 2023. Owners of 14 further properties on Elliott Street signed up and had their gutters cleaned and roof condition surveyed by local contractor Orb Rope Access. Orb also removed vegetation from high level masonry and used lime mortar to undertake patch repairs.

Simple maintenance tasks like gutter cleaning are critical to keep any building, historic or modern, in good condition and it is important that this is done regularly to prevent damaging rainwater ingress.

Guidance on maintenance can be found at: https://www.spab.org.uk/campaigning/maintenance-matters