THE roof of one of Winchester's oldest buildings is laid bare for repair as specialist craftsmen start the job of fixing the medieval timbers and stonework.

The roof on the St John the Baptist Church, in St John's Street, is being replaced as part of a £700,000 scheme to get the old building back to its former glory.

The church dates from 1142 and is thought to be the oldest parish church in the city, though archaeologists believe the site may be much older, as it is sited on a fourth century Roman burial ground.

Centuries of weather have taken their toll on the building, with phase one of the work - getting the roof fixed - set to cost about £295,000 and not due to finish until February. Fixing the roof has proved so costly because as a Grade II listed building everything in the repairs has to be replicated exactly, such as the curvature of the supporting beams.

Restoration stoneworker Greg Emerton said: "There's a lot of decisions to make about what stays and gets repaired and what is simply beyond repair, especially with the really old bits of stonework, but it's a great project to work on."

Workers have hung model owls from the giant canopy covering the exposed timbers to stop pigeons getting in and leaving a mess on the newly repaired surfaces.