The winter months are upon us in many areas of the world. Obviously, not everyone has to deal with the harsh cold and blustery winds of the northern parts of the world, but nonetheless, winters can be pretty devastating. Just this last October, many eastern states in the U.S. were hit with brutal winter storms that left areas without power for weeks due to downed trees and power lines. This type of damage can be common during nasty winter storms, even in some parts of Europe.

The strong winds of storms have been a concern at a church in Kilmarnock, Scotland, which was recently cordoned off because of potential loose masonry. According to a story from the Kilmarnock Standard:

“St Andrew’s and St Marnock’s Church became a cause for concern when one of the church’s finials began to sway in dangerous gusts of wind which reached up to 85 miles an hour. Two lanes of St Marnock Street were closed as a result, and on Friday a deputation – which included a steeplejack, a structural engineer and a stonemason – inspected the site.”

After the storm ended, scaffolding was put up to aid workers who were reconstructing areas of the church that had been damaged. This type of problem can affect older buildings, many of which have outdoor décor like finials and weathervanes. This particular area of Scotland was hit by major storms, the article says, but were relatively lucky to emerge with little damage:

“On the whole, however, the Kilmarnock area escaped from the worst national storms in a decade relatively unscathed. There were no major structural concerns, aside from the church, and schools, council offices and facilities all reopened as normal…”

If your home has décor like finials or cupolas, make sure they are properly installed and secured before the winter gets into a full swing in your area. Doing so could save you a lot of trouble in the future.