Project to restore roof back underway after chicks in chimney halted work
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Work led by Pilbeam Construction to fix the leaking roof of the Grade II* listed All Saints Church in Lindfield is back underway after nesting jackdaws hatched their chicks, which halted construction.
An ecologist has been monitoring the Sussex contractor’s project as bats were expected to be found in the roof of the building, but instead a nest containing five jackdaw eggs was discovered.
Jackdaws are a small black crow with a silvery sheen on the back of their heads and often nest in chimneys.
The nest was discovered after chartered building company Pilbeam secured a bat licence to begin stripping the roof tiles on the building, known locally as The Tiger.
The team, which specialises in restoring heritage buildings, was asked to step in after a structural survey revealed that the medieval timber framed building needed repairs.
Work started in February 2026 but in April, the chicks were found nesting in the south end roof void and the chimney within the slate roof.
The birds fledged in June and Pilbeam have now been able to continue stripping the roof of The Tiger.
Pilbeam managing director Alan Corbett said: “Our team had been hard at work to restore the roof of All Saints Church but it seemed the jackdaws decided to join in too.
“Project delays can present challenges for us, but our priority was the safety of the birds. We decided to pause all work on the project to make sure that we didn’t distress or disturb the parents and their chicks.
“After the birds had safely flown their nest, we got back on track to repair the roof and give the community a much-improved space, safeguarding it for future generations.”
Under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 all active birds’ nests receive legal protection, with all nests considered active until the parents and chicks have left the site.
The jackdaws in the roof of The Tiger hatched at the start of May. As no new or additional nests formed in the weeks after their hatching, work to strip the roof could start again on 18 June.
Pilbeam took the decision to halt the project across the entire roof following the birth of the chicks as the parents became much more protective of the nest site and were at greater risk of distress, which puts the survival of the chicks at risk.
Sally-Ann Hurry, the ecologist consultant supporting Pilbeam with the project, said: “It’s extremely important that the safety of these birds comes first.
“It was great to see the team taking an extra step to make sure that the jackdaws remained completely undisturbed.
“We were pleased to see that the birds had vacated the building by the middle of June, which meant that the roof stripping could continue.”
Ashley Bence, facilities manager at All Saints, said: “While it meant that the repair project paused, we were pleased that Pilbeam took the welfare of wildlife in the building seriously.
“We appreciated the patience from local residents and visitors while work had to pause.”
During the pause to the project, the team protected the site and the jackdaws and limited the chance of further birds nesting in the roof.
For more information, please visit: https://www.pilbeamconstruction.co.uk/
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For further information, please contact:
Fran Herring, Samantha Clark or Chris Hatherall
Midnight Communications
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About Pilbeam Construction:
Pilbeam Construction, based in Southwick, West Sussex, began as a family firm of building contractors in 1955. Since then, it has grown into a 25-strong team specialising in the design, build and management of multi-million-pound projects within the residential, commercial, health & care, education, heritage and ecclesiastical sectors.
Chartered building company Pilbeam is ISO 9001 and 14001 certified, CHAS accredited and registered with Constructiononline. It was also a winner of a Sussex Heritage Trust Award in 2024 and 2025.
