Leading stonemasonry company A F Jones, based in Reading, Berkshire, is now working on the sercond phase of the renovation of the Bath stone St Peter’s Church in Ealing, London.

Work on the Grade II* listed Gothic church will continue for the next six months and includes repairs to the turrets, high level arches and the tower on the south side using Bath stone from Hanson Bath & Portland’s Hartham Park mine.

This is the second phase of a project that started in 2012. A F Jones also carried out the first phase.

Working alongside architect Roderick Maclennan, Angus Jones, the fifth generation of his family to run the stone company (established in 1858), says: “We are delighted to have secured such an important role in the repair of this unusual building.”

St Peter’s was designed by architect John Dando Sedding in 1889 and completed in 1893. The limestone of the church has suffered, like so many other buildings of its age, from hard cement being used in earlier repair works. It has trapped moisture in the limestone, causing it to spall and parts to break off.

Allison McAllister, Churchwarden at St Peter’s, says: “Everyone is very excited to see the work in progress. The first phase was extremely successful as the work [of A F Jones] is of such a high standard. They are renowned for the repair and restoration of historical and church buildings and, given the complexity of the works, we have been reassured by their considerable expertise.”

The £550,000, two-phase project has been paid for by various fundraising activities and donations from organisations including English Heritage, the Heritage Lottery Fund and the National Churches Trust.

A F Jones works in all aspects of stonemasonry – interiors, new build, conservation and, through its sister company of E T Sheppard, memorials.