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A summer trip to North Wales in July included surveys in Llandudno and Bangor.  In support of building warranty provider requirements, H+R were asked to undertake a render condition survey and condensation risk analysis of the Grade II listed Edwardian Ysgol Maelgwn Council School in Llandudno Junction.  Brenig Construction (https://brenigconstruction.co.uk/) are currently undertaking a redevelopment of the site in which the former school building is to be converted into 10 social housing units.  During our investigations and to the delight…

The holiday month of August was no less busy than ever with the usual range of interesting challenges H+R’s involvement commenced at HMS Daedalus which from 1917 until recent years was the principal shore station of the Fleet Air Arm.  There are fascinating reminders of its previous use all around including massive listed hangers.  H+R have been commissioned by the developer to undertake specialist condition surveys of the barrack blocks which are notable for their war-time graffiti In the month,…

It has been interesting to track the marketing of projects that H+R have been involved with both in the National and specialised press.  Notable projects featured in the month are Heathlands in Surrey (https://www.lindenhomes.co.uk/developments/surrey/heathlands-frimley), Stone Cross Mansion in Cumbria and Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire (https://wentworthwoodhouse.org.uk/).  All three neatly illustrate the geographical reach of H+R’s investigative consultancy and the range of heritage and commercial clients H+R are delighted to extend congratulations to the winners of the Georgian Group’s inaugural Craft…

H+R surveyors all follow individually tailored training programmes and grow their skills through annual CPD. Two staff members are starting on the RICS pathway and another is due to complete in the next six months. In June all surveyors qualified for PASMA with an all-day in-house training session organised at Netley. In addition, a surveyor completed his timber strength grading qualification at the renowned Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in the Jodrell Laboratory under Dr Peter Gasson During the month,…

Parish Church of Saint John the Evangelist, Gressingham, Lancaster Spectacularly located in the Forest of Bowland AONB, the Grade I listed Parish Church of Saint John The Evangelist dates from the 12th Century and its bell tower, dating from 1734, was the subject of the latest of several recent church tower studies conducted by H+R.  Commissioned by the Architects on behalf of Gressingham Village Trust, we carried out a detailed condition survey of the tower’s fabric, identifying decayed timbers and…

Despite Brexit uncertainty beginning to affect decision making amongst some areas of the industry, H+R have continued to secure some very interesting commissions. On some projects this month, the H+R drones have been deployed to good effect.  H+R drone pilots are CAA qualified for commercial flying As usual, the range of structures that we have been involved with has been eclectic and it has been particularly gratifying to visit Bentley Priory in Stanmore where there have been continuing performance issues…

Two major projects for H+R have started in the month which keep the survey teams from the Manchester and Guilford offices on their toes.  The first is Tunstall Town Hall where H+R have been commissioned to undertake a very wide range of specialist investigations covering the external envelope and also the internal structures.  The building is in a very dilapidated condition and is now subject to an extensive Local Authority backed complete refurbishment to be re-purposed as a Library  The…

During the month, H+R undertook its first survey of a market stall! Nothing could better illustrate the range of structures H+R work on and, for H+R surveyors to experience over a short period, the challenges and focus of working on Palaces as well as humble temporary structures, provides an excellent perspective. The client for the market stall was Kingston Council where there were concerns about the performance of the plywood sourced for the roofs. Back in 1989 H+R surveyed the…

In January, H+R returned to Wakefield’s Victorian Rutland Mills complex to update our timber decay survey of March 2017 in support of our client’s purchase from the Local Authority.  The multi-million redevelopment of the former industrial mill buildings is part of the larger Wakefield Waterfront development which is expected to be complete by the end of 2022.  The site neighbours The Hepworth Wakefield where world-renowned garden designer Tom Stuart-Smith is currently transforming a patch of wasteland between the two sites…

As mentioned in the January news review, a specialist H+R team returned to the Temple Bridge on the higher reaches of the Thames to complete condition and service life investigations of the very complex timber structures.  Gantry systems were deployed by H+R and surveyors lowered through the deck of the bridge on harnesses.  At the same time safety boats were manned and deployed 25 feet beneath.  All tasks were completed and performed in text book fashion as far as Health…

The year has started very actively with an interesting large scale challenge for the Royal Collections Trust and subsequently for other heritage sector clients ranging from English Heritage at the consolidated ruin of the Royal Garrison Church in Portsmouth (https://www.english-heritage.org.uk/visit/places/royal-garrison-church-portsmouth/), where only the roofed chancel remains as a result of WWII bombing.  Apart from investigating the timber roof structure by the renowned Victorian architect G.E. Street, H+R were tasked to plan and achieve access to the hitherto inaccessible stone spire…

Change seems to have been the dominant theme over the past year. The heritage sector has seen its own shake-ups, including the recent genesis of the National Lottery Heritage Fund (from the former Heritage Lottery Fund), and uncertainties remain for those with responsibilities for historic buildings and sites. H+R East Office director, David Watt, has seen growing demand in the past 12 months for detailed investigations to identify defects and provide recommendations for practical remedial solutions, environmental assessments and monitoring,…