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In June, H+R returned to Princess Street in central Manchester to conduct an updated timber decay investigation.  Winnington Investments Ltd. have been granted planning permission to convert the Grade II listed, late 19th century former shipping warehouse into modern office suites.  Although access had been improved by the removal of internal finishes, H+R found that timber decay had not dramatically progressed since the first survey undertaken in 2019 H+R have been appointed by Bowmer and Kirkland Limited to provide specialist…

During the month, work started on the extensive refurbishment of the porch structure at Netley House where H+R’s South of England and overall main office is based.  Pesvner described Netley House in un-glowing terms as ‘heavily and gloomily classical’!  The porch was added in the 1890s and has been slowly detaching itself ever since.  The Portland stone steps within the porch were replaced in 2008 and now it is the turn of the render and ironwork.  This will necessitate the…

H+R undertake a significant amount of investigative work on ecclesiastical buildings all over the UK and are members of the National Churches Trust amongst other similar bodies. https://www.nationalchurchestrust.org/.  As such, it was gratifying to see that the Friends’ Vote in 2021 selected several of the churches that H+R are familiar with and the 2020 winner, St Machar’s Cathedral in Aberdeen, was the subject of a detailed phase of investigation by H+R back in 2019 In July, the remaining centre block…

Further project work was undertaken in June for the Royal Household Property Section in relation to tower and roof structures in London With the renewal of security clearances for Parliamentary Estate work, investigations will shortly resume in various specialist areas.  Elsewhere in London extensive private project work on substantial single occupancy residences gathers pace reflecting renewed market interest in the super prime sector.  Projects include 112 Eaton Square, 17 Paddington Green, 55 Cumberland Place and 17 Buckingham Gate The investigative…

In March, H+R returned to Edinburgh to update our 2019 survey of the Powderhall, this time to investigate the moisture contents of masonry which was providing the conditions for progressive timber decay.  The 1890’s refuse depot and stable block has been granted planning consent for conversion to affordable housing, including a combination of work and event spaces. The project, headed by Collective Architecture, is the recipient of grants from the Scottish government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund and Edinburgh City Council’s…

The range of work has been particularly varied in the month which has kept all the teams fully engaged.  The increasing controversy regarding the future of the Whitechapel Bell Foundry has occupied minds at H+R as we undertook a range of initial surveys back in 2018 when the recently abandoned furnaces were still warm to the touch. There was an indescribable and evocative atmosphere with tools arranged on the benches as if work had just ceased H+R have returned to…

H+R were pleased that a longstanding client, the Octavia Hill Birthplace Museum Trust http://www.octaviahill.org/visit-us/ have received a grant from the Government’s ‘Culture Recovery Fund’ to fund ongoing refurbishment. It has been a moment to reflect on H+R’s very longstanding links with the National Trust as commercial tenants since 1975 and also in providing specialist investigative consultancy since 1980 when our first commission was at Clandon Park in Surrey. 40 years later this April, H+R have provided specialist advice on post-flood…

Wood rot and insect attack are among the most common problems encountered with traditional buildings. The team at Hutton + Rostron are market-leading experts in the investigation and repair of timber decay. In this blog, we take a look at five of the worst offenders and how to approach remedial action. Dry Rot The dry rot fungus Serpula lacrymans destroys softwood timber and, occasionally, hardwood too. Conditions for it to thrive include a relative humidity of 95% and a moisture…

Highlands and Islands have been a theme this month with an extensive survey completed on Inverness Castle and other specialist input on lochside castles in the north-west of Scotland Platts Eyot on the Thames near Richmond is an island with a fascinating industrial history having several boatyards originally owned by Vosper Thorneycroft and was the setting of the early development of motor torpedo boats and other naval craft over the last 150 years.  The island still retains a working boat…

In January and February of 2021, H+R carried out material condition investigations of the roof structures, floor structures, staircases and ceilings of the Grade II-listed Mindel House and 26 Bloom Street in Manchester – the first part of a multi-phase investigation in support of pre-commencement discharging of planning conditions.  Mindel House and 26 Bloom Street are thought to be some of the last remaining unconverted Victorian warehouses in Manchester City Centre.  Beech Holdings wre granted planning permission in 2020 to…

Specialist surveys in the month seemed to disproportionally take into account fine and complex roof structures around England and Scotland – both historic and contemporary.  Notable examples were the roofs of King’s Hall Leisure centre for the London Borough of Hackney, Smithfield Market for the Museum of London, Bedfordwell Pumping Station for Eastbourne Council, the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington and Nottingham Castle.  Failing contemporary ‘green’ roofs were sadly a feature in Scotland and the impact of mould growth a…

Timber is used as a structural material in the construction of various buildings old and new, it is a natural resource that offers strong, long-term integrity and functionality. However, wood is also a vulnerable material that needs to be protected. Two of the main threats to structural timber are wet rot and dry rot. In this blog post, we will take a look at how to spot signs of dry rot and what to do next. What is dry rot?…