Century House, Swavesey was reroofed 2 years ago. As a result a number of Swift nests were lost, and the roof was left in a state that Swifts could get into the roof space, resulting in some fatalities.
As part of the Over & Swavesey Swift Conservation Project, organised by Helen Pletts, it was decided to insert 8 S Bricks in the gable. It is a solid wall with no access inside, so everything had to be done from the outside. The bonding was somewhat irregular, so we had to make sure we chose stretchers to be removed which had a good chance of being aligned with the stretcher behind it. This was achieved by choosing stretchers adjacent to a header.
It was straightforward removing the outer stretcher, as the wall was constructed with soft lime mortar. In order to get hold of the inner stretcher, a handle was screwed into it to enable pulling it out. We had to be careful that nothing would fall onto the false ceiling inside.
Tailored S Bricks were made to fit this non-standard (Imperial) brick size. The backs of the boxes were coated in a layer of silvered insulation material to give some level of protection from heat from an uninsulated roof. For this project, the brick slips were made by the Swavesey Sheddit group, a volunteer mental health workshop support project.
No other product on the market would have been practical in this situation.
The cherry picker was hired from Anglia High Access Ltd, who did a great job removing the bricks, with Bill Murrells, Action for Swifts, installing the S Bricks. From start to finish it took 6 hours
The project was funded by South Cambs District Council.
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| 8 tailored S Bricks |
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8 bricks removed ready for 4 S Bricks |
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| 8 S Bricks installed |
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| Overview shot |
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