Public and private works make up an enviable portfolio

Based in the evocatively-named village of Cringles, near Skipton in North Yorkshire, is the team of highly-skilled stonemasons that make up Heritage Masonry and Conservation Ltd. Between them they cover all types of masonry, stone walling and cladding, operating across the country. The company has many years of experience in the industry and has worked hard to build up a first-class reputation for the quality of the work and service it provides.

Over recent years the company has been involved in a number of projects in both the private and heritage sectors, some of national importance.

Shibden Hall is a typical example. Set in 37 hectares of the Shibden Valley in Calderdale, it is a medieval timber-framed manor house dating back to 1420, five years after the Battle of Agincourt. The hall and park have been the subject of a huge Lottery-funded restoration project, with the gardens, boating lake, tunnels and visitor centre all being fully restored.

Below the front garden is a network of tunnels originally linking the servants’ and gardeners’ quarters to the Hall. The stonework was in a very poor state with much of the tunnels’ structural integrity compromised. Heritage Masonry were tasked with reinstating the network of tunnels and their entrances back to a fully-functional part of Shibden Hall’s visitor attractions.

They were also asked to build a spine wall in the café/visitor centre. The wall was to take on the appearance of a dry stone wall which commenced externally alongside the seating area, continuing internally to form the gable end of the café area. To create the look of a dry stone wall, the stonework was back bedded with mortar with just the front leading edge of each stone being left 'dry'.

The stonework for the spine wall was supplied by sister company Yorkshire Stone Supplies.

The project was one of a number carried out at notable houses throughout the North and North Midlands. In Lincolnshire they were appointed to carry out the new build of an extension to Thimbleby Hall (below), using the original design and style. Features included a portico rich in features and a canopy roof atop a stone portico. The courtyard incorporates a water feature.

Another notable restoration project the team has been involved with is that of Cowesby Hall (below) in North Yorkshire. The project at the Georgian mansion involved restoration of the front façade plus the creation of substantial gardens, including a water feature.

The team is equally at home building new structures in a traditional manner, often for local authorities. When Sheffield City Council were formulating their vision for a series of quality open spaces in the city centre, creating a new area to be called Sheaf Valley Park, residents suggested that the land next to the railway station become a seated area that could act as a venue for outdoor events. That idea became Sheffield Amphitheatre.

Heritage Masonry were appointed to create the tiered and curved stone seating areas on a sloped site, which also involved the landscaping. The tiers were built using traditional dry stone walling with copings placed on top to form seating (below). The clients were concerned that the copings could be stolen or dislodged and cause injury to the public. Those fears were dispelled by core drilling holes into each coping and inserting a metal dowel fastened with epoxy resin. They were then concreted into the dry stone wall.

Important industrial structures also figure among the company’s successes. The 19th-century Calver Weir, on the River Derwent in Derbyshire, is a significant site from the Industrial Revolution, built to supply water to Calver Mill, upstream of Arkwright’s world-famous Cromford Mill.

Following a sustained effort by a conservation charity formed in 2004, Heritage Masonry were retained to rebuild the weir (above) using substantial amounts of stone from the original structure – with Yorkshire Stone Supplies providing the rest. At the request of the local volunteers and the Environment Agency, a salmon run was added.

These projects are just a few of the many carried out by Heritage Masonry over the years. Others include commissions from individual clients to build or restore private dwellings, including figures from the world of sport.

More examples can be found in the company’s brochure, available to download from www.heritagemasonryuk.co.uk.