Lower lantern, outside. Photo by author

At East Derry, we knew the lantern was in bad shape, but we couldn’t know the full extent until we had it on the ground. Brian Cox was the job lead. He says, “The will of the church was holding that thing together, many layers of lead paint, and band-aid flashing details.” It was chilling to observe the extent of the damage, and know the structure was in this condition when it was still 80′ above the congregation.

Lower lantern, inside. Photo by author

Once the frame was exposed, we documented and measured every piece. The design is both complex and well-balanced. Each post is connected to its opposite with an upper and lower girt, and a plate across the top. The eight posts hold hands like four couples in a square dance. David Ewing produced cut drawings for each unique timber. To orient the crew, he provided a key alongside each drawing, highlighting the timber’s location within the frame. This helped the crew organize all the pieces, and to double-check their layout. The color-coded cut key is an innovation we’ll continue to use on all future drawing sets.

Lantern Posts C1 & B4. Drawing by David Ewing

The lantern posts are five-sided; when the building is trimmed out, a turned column will adorn each point of the octagon. Four parallel bed timbers cross the belfry plates and support the eight posts. The bed timbers are crossed by a fifth perpendicular timber, which bears the foot of the mast. The plate level is co-planar and arranged like a hashtag. Two full length plates run parallel to the beds, and two interrupted plates run counter to them. The timber hashtag is connected by hefty mortise and tenon joinery.

Lower Lantern, before. Photo by Arron Sturgis

The lower lantern frame was test fit in our yard in Nottingham, NH. The assembly was smooth and painless thanks to thorough drawings, accurate cutting, and the lull. The doubled, overlapping girts make for a stout frame, capable of enduring high wind-loads at the top of the tower. In dimension, this lantern frame is similar to the one we built to support the Camden spire last year, but the design is very different. Camden was reinforced by an array of braces and had stacked, overlapping plates. The bed timbers there were a stacked hashtag, while the ones here are co-planar and parallel. One of the great joys of this job is seeing the ways in which builders solve the problem of constructing a steeple or spire. The vocabulary of design in a barn is much more consistent; I can accurately model a barn from a phone description. Steeples are not that way, every time I crawl through the hatch, I am greeted by a new, intricate design. Part of our mission, and others, is to protect this repository of proven designs.

Lantern Fitting. Photo by Brian Cox

Obviously, there were aspects of the building that did not stand the test of time. The flashing between the upper lantern and the sweep roof was the most significant failure, and the extreme height limited the steeple’s overall maintenance. Brian was determined to minimize the plethora of tiny penetrations produced by face fastening. With every steeple restoration, we run into this conflict: it is much easier to mill and assemble trim elements in the comfort of our shop, allowing us the luxury of heat, and finely maintained cabinet tools. It is possible to work at the church, but then we have to contend with weather, job-site tools, commuting and staging. Brian decided to assemble the eight faces of the lantern in removeable panels that could be reapplied on-site.

Rusty fasteners indicate where water has penetrated the finish. Photo by Brian Cox

While the lantern was standing in the yard, the crew fit the sides with horizontal nailers, toe-screwing them to the inside of the frame. They sheathed each face with wide tongue and groove pine, blind-nailing through the tongue. Then they backed out the screws and removed each face as a solid panel. The louvers will be hung on top of the panel – they were never functional – and the panels will be craned in as a unit. This will limit the amount of time the crew has to spend working from a hundred foot staging tower as well as water penetration around the fasteners.

Flute testing. Photo by Brian Cox

The frame was decimated, but the most iconic trim details will remain in service. All sixteen urns will be reused, a handful will require new bases. All eight turned columns will be repaired and returned to new, well-flashed pedestals. The louvers and fans will be stripped and re-used, as will the weathervane, and both railings. Cornice trim was painstakingly documented. Sixteen distinct profiles were custom milled by Noah Tremblay and his crew from African Mahogany; the fluted panels and guttae were carved in house.

Lower lantern and belfry railings. Photo by Brian Cox

We’d prefer that these buildings not need our help at all. But given their deteriorated circumstances, we’re grateful we get to do the fix. Next up: scarfing the belfry posts, and joining together the floor, in 12″ x 12″ white oak.