Non-standard products from Hargreaves Foundry and Rainclear

Rainclear Systems, the UK’s leading stockist and online retailer of metal rainwater will work with Hargreaves, a working foundry with its own pattern making shop and dedicated design team, on your behalf to produce non-standard cast iron rainwater components to replicate existing perished components to replace like-for-like but brand new to last another 100 years +.

Heritage properties often contain atypical building shapes and designs. If your building has non-standard specifications, we can help source and supply guttering with non-standard angles or special configurations.

Read more: Non-standard products from Hargreaves Foundry and Rainclear

London calling for award-winning York Handmade Brick

The completion of the prestigious Lancer Square development in the heart of London marks a decade of York Handmade Brick’s involvement in reshaping the look of England’s capital city.

During the past 10 years York Handmade, one of the leading independent brickmakers in the UK, has provided the bricks for some of London’s most stunning new buildings.

Read more: London calling for award-winning York Handmade Brick

Fine craftsmanship lead roofing by Sussex Leadcraft Ltd

Reigate Priory School is set in the beautiful surroundings of Priory Park and is a historic Grade 1 listed building. It dates back to 1235 when William de Warenne, 6th Earl of Surrey, founded Reigate Priory for the Order of St Augustinian whose monks resided there for 300 years before the dissolution of the monasteries during the English Reformation.

The Priory played a further role in history being owned by the Howard family. The daughter, Catherine, became the fifth wife of Henry VIII at 19. She was the last one to be executed two years after the marriage.

Pictured above are details of the fine craftsmanship lead roofing by Sussex Leadcraft Ltd using Code 6,7,8,9, and 10 lead.

Pictured left is the sloping roof at Laughton Manor using Code 6 lead - another example of the craftsmanship of Sussex Leadwork.

The company has the highest achievable grade in the Lead Contractors Association.

For further information contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Memorial cleaning reveals need for further work

The work of cleaning and restoring the country’s war memorials has carried on throughout the past year, despite the restrictions of the pandemic. Hertfordshire-based P&S Property Management have carried out a number of cleaning projects, including that of the memorial at Shorne in Kent (pictured right and below), at the Church of St Peter and St Paul in the village.

P&S were asked to provide a quotation in early November for a deep clean: the memorial had not been cleaned since 2010. The clean was carried out on 24 March and revealed further work that needs to be carried out.

Director Henry Perales explained: “After a deep clean we usually expose any necessary repairs like re-grouting or repainting the letters. We met with the client and pointed out the exposed problems and will arrange for a quotation so the repairs can be carried out.”

The company also completed the clean back in October of the Croxley Green War Memorial in Hertfordshire (below), in preparation for Remembrance Sunday commemorations. They have subsequently provided a quote for the repainting of the lettering.

Similarly, the cleaning of the memorial at Hockley Heath, Solihull, in early November exposed the need to have the letters repainted.

For further information visit www.pandsproperty.co.uk

Video technology rollout to help risk management surveys

Ecclesiastical Insurance is launching desk based video inspections to customers following investment in new technology.

The video streaming function, developed by long-time collaborators RiskSolved, allows a real-time view of the client’s property, providing a higher quality of desk based surveys.

Read more: Video technology rollout to help risk management surveys

Skilled craftsmen create bespoke tributes for churches around the British Isles

Portsmouth, England 2019

In January 2019 Fullers Finer Furniture received a call from a client in the USA. Her mission was to secure a bespoke lectern for a church in Portsmouth attended by her mother, in memory of her father.

The design brief was for a solid wood, fixed-height lectern bearing a memorial plaque. Working within the proposed budget, a design was drawn up and tweaked to achieve the exact result required.

Fullers always take care to ensure that only the best quality woods are selected for use. Each piece is carefully fashioned in the workshop, maximising skill and experience built up over many years to ensure the finished piece is not just an item of beauty, but is also robust and sturdy, fit to serve with timeless grace for many years to come.

Fullers always welcome feedback and photographs of the furniture in situ. In this case the client wrote: “I am writing to thank you all for the help you gave us in getting the perfect lectern for St. Cuthbert's and to let you know it was very well received by both the members of the congregation and clergy at St. Cuthbert’s.

“The wood is a perfect match to the base of the custom font and the design is just what they wanted, as it is light enough to be moved around depending upon what event is going on in the church at the time…it was dedicated on Remembrance Sunday, which was very fitting.”

Polwarth, Scotland 2020

Polwarth Parish Church lies adjacent to the Union Canal. It is part of an exciting project aimed at running a canal boat from Polwarth Pontoon with a view to benefitting the local community in a variety of ways.

The church received a legacy to be used specifically for the provision of a piece of furniture for the transept area, to display information relating to the canal project. In January 2020 Fullers Finer Furniture were approached in connection with the unique project.

The finished cabinet includes a display area protected behind locking glass sliding doors and a surface area to accommodate the folders and other material relating to the canal project. The multi-function unit also contains two double locking cupboards, a drawer to store wrapping paper and a pull-out desk for use by the floristry team.

Mounted on wheels and finished in natural oak, the cabinet bears arches on the cupboard doors to complement those in the building.

The finishing touch is a brass memorial plaque dedicated to the precious memory of the church member behind the donation.

The client commented: “I am so pleased that I found your advert, it was such a pleasure to work with you.”

Donaghcloney, Northern Ireland 2021

Across the water to Northern Ireland, and this time a request for a baptismal font in memory of a very special infant. The font was made in European oak and supplied with a hand-made glass bowl decorated with a thread pattern to match the church décor. In this case the inscription was carved around the outside of the bowl around the top of the font.

For further information visit www.fullersfinerfurniture.co.uk

Fine leadwork graces award-winning extension

For the new roof of a restaurant extension to the Grade One-listed Gravetye Manor in West Sussex, Matthew Marchant of M Marchant Specialist Lead Roofing Contractors Ltd used Code 6 lead throughout.

The roofing project was shortlisted in last year’s Murdoch Awards, while the new restaurant won a Mid Sussex Design Award – the commercial category of the 2019 Sussex Heritage Trust awards – and was a finalist in the 2019 SECBE Constructing Excellence Awards.

Read more: Fine leadwork graces award-winning extension

I want to redecorate my historic house

External redecoration not only improves your house’s appearance but also protects it from the weather, while internal redecoration gives you the opportunity to make the most of original features within your historic home.

If your home is listed or in a conservation area you should seek advice before making changes as consent may be required.

External decoration can protect your building

Regular redecoration of the outside is important as it helps prevent decay. This is especially true for external woodwork. Windows and doors need regular painting to protect the wood from weather. The only exception is old hardwood such as oak, which is best left unpainted but may benefit from oiling or other traditional treatment.

External coatings - for example, lime render and stucco - may need special ‘breathable’ paint such as limewash that protects the material but does not trap moisture in the wall. In old houses, it’s important to let moisture in walls evaporate so that it doesn’t cause damp. Painting brick, stone or concrete walls can create damp problems and modern paint can be almost impossible to remove without causing damage. If your walls are already painted, seek advice. See Finding Professional Help. 

Your favourite colour

In most cases the choice of colours for the outside of your house is up to you, although for old buildings you will usually get the most pleasing results by keeping to traditional colours. For example, joinery in older houses was often painted dark brown rather than white. Modern white paints are much brighter and colder than historic whites.

If your house is listed you may need to get permission for external redecoration if this would change the character of the building, for example by painting outside walls if they have never been painted before, or using bright red! In some conservation areas there may be special controls on the colours you can use, so check with your local authority first. If your house is in a terrace there may be a tradition of using different bright colours, or for all houses to match; it’s a good idea to take account of local approaches.

The historic interior of your house

Interior decoration is very much a matter of personal taste, but there are some things that you need to remember. If you live in an old house there may be traces of interesting earlier decoration.

If your house is an important historic building, take extra care with redecoration because there may be layers of old paint that tell the story of the house. There could be unusual wall paintings hidden under later plaster, paint or wallpaper, which need to be kept and may be worth restoring.

If you suspect your house has early wall decoration, you may need specialist advice and conservation, rather than just redecoration. Stripping paint or lime plaster can take away layers of history that can’t be replaced. Painted or stained, rather than bare, woodwork is the norm in most historic houses and in some cases was an important design feature. In such cases stripping these finishes would be damaging.

Try to work with the character of your house, finding out how it would have looked, and making the most of any original decorative features. Original features such as wall-panelling, plaster cornices, picture rails and timber mouldings around doors and windows are valuable and you would need consent to take them out. Some - for example, ornamental plaster ceilings or hardwood panelling - may need special treatment, so look for firms that specialise in restoring or repairing historic interiors.

Lead Paint

If your house is Grade I or Grade II* listed it may be appropriate to use traditional paints with white lead pigment or high solvent content. However, their toxicity means they are restricted by environmental legislation and their use permitted only under licence. For more information please read our advice page on Paint Legislation And Historic Buildings.

If you need advice about decorating houses from particular historical periods, the Georgian Group and Victorian Society publish helpful leaflets. These cover timber mouldings, wallpaper and tiles and paint.

Refurbishment restores Nottingham Castle Rock to its former glory

Nottingham Castle Rock is an ancient monument surrounding several areas of the world-famous Nottingham Castle. Originally constructed in 1068, time has seen the structure and its encompassing roads, caves and tunnels, be subject to ruin and deterioration.

Read more: Refurbishment restores Nottingham Castle Rock to its former glory

Incredible glass restoration project at Grade 1 listed Manchester Town Hall

GQA centre Absolute Training Solutions Ltd has contributed to the successful restoration of historic stained glass panels at Grade 1 listed Manchester Town Hall by supporting employees of Recclesia Stained Glass through NVQ attainment. Grade 1 listed buildings, which are incredibly rare in the UK are those deemed to be of exceptional national, architectural or historical significance.

Read more: Incredible glass restoration project at Grade 1 listed Manchester Town Hall

Historic Tunstall Town Hall given a new lease of life and set to reopen

Stoke-on-Trent City Council has completed works on the historic, local building Tunstall Town Hall, which was built in 1885.

The city council have been revamping the Town Hall, alongside contractor and developer G F Tomlinson, since April 2020 to uncover, repair and preserve some of the original heritage features. 

Read more: Historic Tunstall Town Hall given a new lease of life and set to reopen

Complex roof tops off an extraordinary restoration

Athlone House is a brick and stone Victorian mansion built in 1871, lying on high ground just beyond the northern edge of Hampstead Heath, within the Highgate Conservation Area. Over its 150-year history the house has been used as a private dwelling, a secret RAF school during World War Two, and more recently an NHS home for people with dementia. From 2003, however, it had been left derelict.

Read more: Complex roof tops off an extraordinary restoration