Deathwatch beetle work links to past

A builder whose great-great-great uncle installed the floor and pews at a village church is taking them up to tackle an infestation of deathwatch beetle.

Mr Tim Clipsham, 26, of Barnby, is replacing floorboards and repairing pews that have been damaged by the wood-boring pest at St Laurence Church, Norwell.

Some of the floorboards at the back of the church, around the nave and aisle, have been reduced to dust by the beetles, which make a ticking sound.

Mr Clipsham’s great-great-great uncle, Mr Henry Clipsham, installed the pews and the floors in 1875.

Four generations of the family have looked after the church since, including Mr Clipsham’s father, Mr Fred Clipsham, with whom he runs Fred Clipsham Ltd.

They have a trowel from 1898 that has been handed down through the family.

Mr Tim Clipsham said: “I have worked with my dad since I left school and learned all the skills from him.

“It’s funny to know that other members of my family from the past were here before. Henry certainly knew what he was doing because it was a neat job and has stood the test of time.

“It must have taken them forever because they did everything, including making the pews and doing the carving.”

Tim said they had never seen a worse infestation of deathwatch beetle.

“When we were walking on the floor it was rotten and went through right beneath our feet,” he said.

With the help of Mr Daniel Green, who is doing the timberwork, the pews are being removed, and the joists and floorboards replaced.

The new wood is being treated to prevent the beetle returning. The old floorboards have been burnt.

Churchwarden Mrs Elizabeth Jones said: “We have known there were problems for a few years but it reached a stage where we had to do something.

“We were looking at holes thinking they were old, but they weren’t.”

The church is still in use but an area has been cordoned off.

The work had been paid for by fundraising, including a beetle drive.