St John the Baptist Crowle Parish Church Worcestershire

The original heating system with cast iron box-ended pipe coil heaters, header blocks and pipework, dating back to the Victorian period is still extant and operational. It is a LPHW system originally designed with gravity circulation now connected to an oil fired boiler plant. This is an important discovery for the Heritage Group as it is the first heating system discovered that carries the name Messenger & Company the manufacturer of the heating equipment.

An advertisement of the firm taken from a 1897 catalogue.






A 7-row double bank CI box-ended pipe coil heater installed in the Chancel
with angled flow & return connections.



This end view shows that the casting for the heater was purpose made
with its connections angled to follow the shape of the column. 



This view shows the other side of the column with a CI header box that
reduces the 2-4" pipe coils to the f&r size connections to the pipe coil heater.
These cast iron header boxes were used to enable the double pipe work runs to
change pipe size, position and direction, as it is most likely that suitable
wrought iron pipe fittings were not manufactured at the time of the installation.



View of the double 4" pipe coil with a CI angle wheel valve



Close up view of the valve's flanged top plate with the inscription
Messenger & Company. It is possible to see the 'ESSEN' part of
the words Messenger & Company



End view of the 7 row double bank box ended pipe coil heater in the Vestry
with its in-line flow & return pipe connections.



To improve the output of the heating system a modern type fan convector heater
has been added and connected to one double pipe coil. The small size flow &
return pipe connections to the heater together with the high frictional resistance
of the convector heater coil would make its performance very debatable.

  




Two other local churches in Warwickshire were noted that have similar types of
heaters and CI pipework which suggest their heating systems are also fitted with
Messenger & Company equipment.

 St Peter's - Binton  --  St Mary & Holy Cross - Alderminster