THESE incredible pictures show a man repairing a church steeple hundreds of feet in the air.

St Andrew's church, West Tarring, which was damaged by Storm Eunice last month, needed urgent repairs by a specialist.

The current church building was built back in the 13th century and in 1949 became a Grade II* listed building.

Its tower, which was added in the 15th century, is estimated to be in excess of 150ft high.

Pictures taken from a drone show a steeplejack from Tarrant Specialist Earthing Contractors equipped with pulleys, ropes and a very long ladder carrying out the work. 

The company specialises in lightning protection installation and steeplejack engineering.

A steeplejack scales buildings, chimneys, and church steeples by erecting ladders up against the structure and using ropes and harnesses to carry out the repairs, as opposed to using scaffolding which can be costly and could potentially cause further damage.

The Argus:

Firm owner, Dan Tarrant, 25, said: “The church warden gave us a call after the storm and asked us to come down urgently because a large proportion of the shingles on the top half of the spire had been ‘ripped off’ by the high winds.

“We’ve been maintaining the church for decades and currently what we’re doing is removing the damaged shingles and replacing the missing areas.”

The company has a combined experience of around 200 years within the steeplejacking industry.

The nailbiting photos show how far the industry has come in recent years.

Dan said in the early days of the industry safety measures such as harnesses were not as common, but now health and safety measures are paramount.
The Argus:

He describes steeplejacking as a “dying industry”, not only because it is a terrifying job, but also due to the fact it is not recognised on a national scale, with many people not knowing what it is.

He also said that it takes a lot of dedication and a long time to master. 

Dan came into the trade through his father, who owned the business up until a few years ago, although he had previously worked for the company installing lightning protection. 

His craftsmen with nerves of steel operate across Sussex fixing various tall structures. 

Dan said he loves his job and cannot imagine doing anything else.