Current Issue
Castle Drive’s historic gates carefully restored
Grade I-listed, wrought-iron gates, on Castle Drive have been carefully refurbished by Chester Renaissance in partnership with Cheshire West and Chester Council with aspirations for public access via the gates.
Dating back to 1885, the gates stand under the arch which leads to the entrance of Castle Square, now home to the University of Chester and Chester Crown Court and where the County Gaol once stood.
A dummy pass for avoiding VAT relief?
Heritage property experts at Smith & Garratt, the Borders-based firm of conservation accredited surveyors, are united with the great majority of those with interests in our built heritage in asking the Chancellor to re-think his proposal to apply standard-rate VAT to approved alterations to protected buildings.
Paul Mellon Estate Pledges £250,000 for Stowe House
The Paul Mellon Estate Pledges $250,000 towards the
Restoration of the State Music Room at Stowe House, Buckinghamshire
Through World Monuments Fund (WMF), The Paul Mellon Estate has announced a pledge of $250,000 towards the restoration of the State Music Room at Stowe House, the magnificent Grade I listed Neo-Classical palace set in 400 acres of landscaped park in Buckinghamshire. The funding means that the work will begin this year and should be completed by 2012-13.
Read more: Paul Mellon Estate Pledges £250,000 for Stowe House
Using birds to clear birds
Guild of Master Craftsmen members East Riding Pest Control was set up after being approached by the biggest well known pest control company in the UK to do work for them. They specialise in the clearance of nuisance birds.
They use birds of prey as an effective and environmentally friendly way of controlling the behavioural patterns of species such as pigeons, gulls, starlings and sparrows.
Cross border expertise
Experts practicing across national borders have an added responsibility – to ensure their work is presented according to the codes required in the country of delivery. Professionals working in the USA, where legislation differs from state to state, or in parts of mainland Europe, will be more familiar with this extra challenge than we are … but devolution cometh.
The offices of property specialists Smith & Garratt Rural Asset Management overlook the River Tweed from the ancient hamlet of Ladykirk – about 300 yards north of the Scottish Border. Principal surveyor Hugh Garratt acknowledges that professionals along the Border have to be mindful of the increasing differences in law and procedure between England and Scotland. “Scotland has preserved its own legal system since the inception of the Union and devolution is bound to widen the difference with every piece of legislation produced by the Scottish Government, and with every piece of UK legislation that is implemented differently across the Border. Even European legislation, which you would think applies consistently across the UK, is treated differently – because court procedures differ, or legislation is enacted with slight but significant differences”.
RICS Conservation Accreditation and me
A Personal View of the RICS Conservation Accreditation Scheme
By Anthony Redman BSC FRICS
I received an official looking letter in 1985 telling me that because I was not a qualified architect, I could no longer undertake Quinquennial inspections.
Asbestos - An unholy problem?
Hailed as the wonder building material when first used in the 1890’s and reaching its peak use in buildings around the mid 1970’s it’s not unreasonable to find asbestos used extensively in schools and churches. Asbestos containing materials take on many forms and have many uses in construction from simple floor tiles to board materials, anti-condensation products and of course thermal insulation.
Ornate Interiors complete stable preservation at Nostell
As one of Yorkshire’s most popular historical locations National Trust property Nostell Priory, near Wakefield in West Yorkshire, deserves the very best in restoration craftsmanship and that is exactly what has happened recently as part of a major refurbishment programme to its stable block.
Read more: Ornate Interiors complete stable preservation at Nostell
Ventrolla step in to save Cheshire church windows
Ventrolla Lancashire has successfully completed a renovation project at St Vincent de Paul's church in Altrincham, Cheshire.
Two casement bay windows and 32 sash windows were restored at the presbytery, home to the church's three priests and the main location for the running of the parish.
The bay windows of the Cheshire church building were suffering from wet rot and Ventrolla used its expertise to repair the wood ensuring the original aesthetics of the windows were not lost.
Read more: Ventrolla step in to save Cheshire church windows
Mirfield Church and College Resurrected by Anelay
An Anglican monastic community based in Mirfield, West Yorkshire, has a new look home following the recent completion of a £2million restoration project at the Church of the Community of the Resurrection.
The 39 week long refurbishment, which focused predominantly on the removal and levelling of stone flooring, has been carried out by York and Manchester based William Anelay, a 264-year-old building restoration and conservation business operating under the auspices of Architects Harris McMillan and Quantity Surveyors Randall Simmonds LLP on behalf of clients the Community of the Resurrection.
Read more: Mirfield Church and College Resurrected by Anelay
Govt to increase VAT on alterations to listed buildings
On 21 March, the Government announced in its 2012 Budget that it intends to remove the zero rate of VAT for approved alterations to listed buildings. This means that from 1 October 2012 the standard rate of VAT will apply to the alteration of a listed building.
The Government has published draft legislation designed to introduce this change to the current VAT system and is seeking views from interested parties. The consultation is open until Friday 4 May and the details of how to respond are available online here.
As members of the Cut the VAT Coalition The Tile Association believe that VAT on all home repair, maintenance and improvement work should be reduced from 20% to 5%. This targeted VAT cut would bring with it a huge number of economic, social and environmental benefits.
Read more: Govt to increase VAT on alterations to listed buildings
Roman Gardens open to the public
Chester’s popular Roman Gardens have officially re-opened this week following an extensive programme of improvements at the historic city centre site.
The works, which includes a new path to access the base of the city walls, high quality planting of Roman origin and topiary and a new York stone sitting and display area, follow on from the installation of Roman-themed floor mosaics last year.
Designed by Cheshire West and Chester Council’s landscaping team and project managed by Chester Renaissance, overgrown shrubs have been replaced with a new sculptured grass area, improvements have been made to the display of Roman artefacts and masonry and new litter bins have been installed.
Purcell Miller Tritton completes work on new Lewis Carroll Centre in Daresbury
Purcell Miller Tritton has recently completed work on a new Lewis Carroll Centre for Daresbury Church, which opens on 25th March 2012, following a competition win by the practice to develop a new design for the centre, subsequent to an initial scheme for the site.
In keeping with the main church’s Lewis Carroll memorial windows and other nearby interventions, including the monument of the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party in nearby Warrington, the centre is themed on Carroll’s connection with Daresbury, where he was born in 1832.
Read more: Purcell Miller Tritton completes work on new Lewis Carroll Centre in Daresbury
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