December 2020

Every effort was taken to celebrate Christmas albeit following the lockdown rules. The usual 26-foot tree filled Netley’s hallway and opportunity was taken to exchange festive greetings in person and to give gifts whenever a suitable occasion arose.

All of H+R’s staff have maintained a high tempo in their work, servicing our clients throughout the strictures of the pandemic and successfully adapting our working practices. We are so fortunate to have at Netley a large well ventilated building with no-one having to rely on public transport when office-based work has to take place.

It was a pleasure, as ever, to reflect on the amount of project work we undertook in the month for a wide range of well-known Conservation Architects all around the UK and also for heritage organisations such as the National Trust. The latest edition of their membership magazine featured projects familiar to H+R such as Castle Drogo, Oxburgh Hall, Chartwell and Slindon.

Much of the month was taken up with a series of surveys at Southleigh House in Havant which due to fire damage in the 1930s features a wonderful combination of ‘Strawberry Hill’ Gothic and Art Deco interiors. Work for the Royal Household continues and also for the Church of England Pensions Board.

Of particular interest in the month was the start of specialist support work advising on condensation risk and detailing of new window units being installed on the listed Tecton designed Hallfield Estate for Westminster City Council and the appointed contractor