The whole Miss Bush family and I were delighted to become official custodians of The Chapel in 2018.
Owning this landmark building on Ripley’s picturesque High Street is both a great joy and a great responsibility. Since 2018, my husband, the celebrated “Marshy” has been undertaking a complete renovation of the building.
In 2019 the rear section of the roof was replaced. Then, like everyone, we were hampered and slowed by Covid. Progress began again in 2022 with the renovation of the back of The Chapel, rearrangement of some of the partition walls, creation of a courtyard garden and refitted loos! Everyone loves a posh loo after all.
Why a new roof?
The next exciting, if not logistically challenging, news is the installation of insulation in the main roof which necessitates the roof being completely renovated and re-slated.
For any of you that have been in the main Chapel in the winter months, you will know that when it’s cold, it’s freezing!
The roof is the original Victorian construction of slates on laths on hand cut rafters. There is not a jot of insulation so all the heat is going straight through the roof.
This was already a priority for the business, The Chapel is a significant asset but with the spiralling cost of energy it is also extremely prudent.
Behind the scenes, I have been applying for a grant through the Government’s LoCase scheme, and I am pleased to say we have been awarded a significant sum.
Marshy’s 30 years of experience working on prestigious and historic buildings makes him perfectly qualified for managing the project and it is incredible to be able to add to the Ripley environmental legacy.
About LoCase
Helping Surrey businesses get greener and grow with grant funding support: Low carbon across the South and East (LoCASE)
LoCASE is a Surrey Council initiative to help businesses become greener, more competitive, profitable and future ready. LoCASE offers grants from £1,000 and up to £20,000, covering up to 40% of eligible costs, along with environmental training and events; giving you the tools and means to build a more sustainable business.
What this means
There is no getting round that taking off a Victorian roof and replacing it is going to be loud, messy and time consuming.
Quite soon you will see lots of Instagram posts on the subject but I wanted to clarify the plans as we know them.
Visit us before Saturday 1st April
Saturday 1st April is the last weekend opportunity for brides to visit us for the first time until 6th May.
The front portion of the Chapel will be closed during this time so we are encouraging any brides-to-be who would love to buy their dress from us to book in during February and March. Extended opening hours will be offered through these two months including Sundays and evenings.
This is particularly important for any brides-to-be with a wedding date before October 2023.
Book now to guarantee your place.
Revisits and Fittings
Plans are being made to offer re-visit appointments in the back of the Chapel, we have two fitting suites that lack the drama of the main Chapel but are still beautiful. These are for second or third visits only and dresses would need to be carefully pre-selected as the samples are being stored off site.
All our existing brides-to-be will be contacted collectively to outline the plans. Any brides that may be more directly affected will be contacted individually
The business will be open, but rearranged. Miss Bush is lucky to have two Studios in Send and Basingstoke to call on and Covid gave us all the wherewithal to work from home if need be!
Once the scaffold and temporary roof are erected there will be safe client access to the back of The Chapel where fittings are conducted.
Sample Sale Pop Up
With our samples moving off site, Rosie and I thought this was an ideal opportunity to run a pop-up sample sale at Nortier Shallow HQ in Basingstoke. Nortier Shallow are our recommended alterations company for sample dresses so being able to buy a sample and leave it with the team for cleaning and expert alterations is incredible.
Nortier Shallow's town centre location is a short walk from Basingstoke station or a short drive from Junction 6 on the M3
Preserving the chapel
There is never a good time to disrupt a business but the valuable lessons in flexibility, adaptability and stoicism learned through the pandemic means I am confident my team and I can manage this successfully.
Lowering our carbon emissions, making sure the Chapel is warm and welcoming and preserving and much loved village landmark in our conservation area is definitely worth a few weeks of disruption.
If you have any questions about this or any other topic, please drop me an email.
I will give you regular updates and contact anyone that might directly affected individually.
Kind regards
