Tag

conservation engineering

Celebrating World Heritage Day 2023

On
by Andrew Horton

April 18th is World Heritage Day, also known as the International Day for Monuments and Sites. To celebrate this annual occasion, PCA has been reflecting on some monuments we have worked on.

The first one for your perusal is Stoney Littleton Long Barrow. This is a Neolithic chambered tomb with multiple burial chambers, located near the village of Wellow in Somerset.  It is an example of the Cotswold-Severn Group and was scheduled as an ancient monument in 1882. The entrance appears as a lintel supported by two jambs. It is 1.1m high and faces towards the south-east.

In 2022, PCA were called in to inspect evident cracking in the lintel over the door opening. Working with English Heritage, we carried out a structural inspection of the barrow, producing a report to confirm our findings and recommendations. The Barrow is open to the public and an internal chamber with a transepted gallery grave associated with three pairs of side chambers and an end chamber. The gallery extends for 12.8m and varies in height from 1.2m to 1.8m.

Next is HMS Drake. Originally built in 1896 and grade II*-listed, this is the final piece of what was formerly known as Keyham Barracks. The clock tower at HMS Drake has been a prominent feature of the naval base and, indeed, Plymouth for more than 115 years at Drake Gate on Saltash Road.

Lastly, the grade II-listed Newton Abbot War Memorial. Built in 1920-22, it was added to after the Second World War and again following later conflicts. The First World War memorial was designed by the borough surveyor, Coleridge Dingle White, and takes the form of a column set on a substantial plinth bearing the names of the war dead on the four faces on bronze plaques. A bronze statue was added by the opening of the memorial in July 1922, which was sculpted and designed by Courtenay Edward Maxwell Pollock as a symbol of victory and freedom.

PCA involvement for both these monuments was to inspect their structural condition and give recommendations and specifications for repair.

Well, these are our top three monuments for 2023’s World Heritage Day. We hope you have enjoyed stepping back in time with us and the conservation engineering work we have carried out to maintain these historical sites.

Thanks to Linda Capon for pulling this information together for us. Until next year….

 

St Peter’s Church project wins another award

On
by Sophia Darke

PCA is proud to announce that one of our conservation projects has won a prestigious award.

St Peter’s Church in Knowstone, Devon, won the John Betjeman Award at The SPAB Heritage Awards ceremony. The Society for the Protection of Ancient Buildings’ award recognises excellence in the conservation and repair of places of worship.

The project involved the restoration of wall paintings, a rood loft stairway and early joinery. PCA’s Paul Carpenter worked with architects AJ Bunning and archaeologist Dr Stuart Blaylock. The wall painting conservation was carried out by McNeilage Conservation and the timber work by Hugh Harrison Conservation.

PCA advised and liaised with timber and plaster conservators on the structural repair to the rood screen stone stair shaft and other stonework repairs.

The SPAB Heritage Awards were held at Conway Hall in London and were hosted by Grand Design’s Kevin McCloud.

Photo credit: SPAB

Award-winning barn projects

On
by Sophia Darke

PCA has been recognised for its work on two barn projects in Devon.

Willowplatt Barn, near Aveton Gifford in Devon, was an abandoned 230-year-old stone structure and has been transformed into a holiday rental property. PCA worked with BBH Architects and oak-framed building designer and makers Carpenter Oak to advise on drainage,  its structural condition and any adjustments they needed to be made.

Willowplatt Barn was chosen as Regional Winner in the LABC Building Excellence Awards 2021 in the ‘Best conversion to create a single new home’ category and went on to win the grand final later in the year. It also won Build It’s Best Oak Frame Home Award.

PCA was involved in this project from an early stage to give a pre-planning structural appraisal of the building and produce a drainage strategy.

But there was also an incumbent resident whose needs were also taken care of.

PCA director Ross Carpenter said: “I remember my first visit to undertake our survey and the resident barn owl sat happily up in the roof space while I looked around before flying the length of the barn over my head and out of the large south opening. The building work and final design was considered around the resident barn owl with a specific loft space set aside for the owl in the finished building.”

PCA also worked with S Tozer Construction on this project.

Meanwhile, Redhill Barn, also known as The Outfarm, had been a roofless ruined stone and timber barn nestled in the Devon hills. PCA worked with architects TYPE Studio and Carpenter Oak on the new timber frame. PCA advised on the 21-metre single truss that span from gable to gable with a fork at each end to accommodate large windows.

This barn project won three awards from The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA): RIBA South West Award 2021, RIBA South West Conservation Award 2021, and RIBA National Award 2021. It also featured on the Grand Designs House of the Year.

PCA extends conservation engineering expertise

On
by Sophia Darke

PCA Consulting Engineers has enhanced their expertise in the conservation of historic buildings.

Conservation engineer Paul Carpenter has successfully applied for and been approved to be included on the Conservation Accreditation Register for Engineers (CARE).

CARE was established by the Institution of Civil Engineers (ICE) and the Institution of Structural Engineers (IStructE) to raise the standard of conservation engineering across the industry.

The register is designed for those individuals who wish to demonstrate a defined level of competency in the application of conservation within the construction process.

The main aims of CARE is to:

  • To help clients select a suitable engineer with proven conservation experience
  • Promote sympathetic and best practice in engineering conservation
  • Raise the awareness of conservation in the engineering profession
  • Encourage education and training in conservation engineering

Paul had to prepare five case studies as part of the process, followed by an assessment and a professional interview.

He said: “I very much enjoy conservation engineering and working with architects, contractors and clients to preserve and protect old and historic buildings. It is always rewarding to establish a new use for a redundant building, knowing that its future is then hopefully protected and can be enjoyed for many years to come.”

Spire repair works going well

On
by Tina Wyeth

Repair works to remove the corroding wrought iron embedded in the stone spire at Christ Church, Weston Super Mare are going well.

PCA are working with Jonathan Rhind Architects and Wells Cathedral Stonemasons, with repair works hopefully completed by the end of June 2018.

The project has been made possible by Heritage Lottery Funding together with a tremendous fundraising effort by the local community.

PCA Highly Commended in RICS South West Awards

On
by Tina Wyeth

 

PCA Consulting Engineers, in conjunction with Jonathan Rhind Architects, were highly commended by RICS for their repairs to the Bell Tower at St Mary’s Church, High Bickington.

Director Paul Carpenter worked closely with Jonathan Rhind Associates to provide structural solutions to the crumbling Bell Tower. St. Mary’s Church is a Grade I Listed building with the carved rounded arches of the south doorway dating back to the 12th Century and intricate wood carvings from the 15th and 16th Century found on the bench ends.

The Church sits high up in the landscape leaving the 15th Century Bell Tower exposed to the harsh elements. Quinquennial reports over the last 15 years had identified loose stones and cracks opening up on the tower buttresses, allowing rainwater to penetrate through the missing stonework. The area beneath the tower was cordoned off for over 5 years and bell ringing in the tower ceased due to falling stones and the vibrations loosening the stonework.

The Parish were granted EH/HLF funding to repair the tower and work began in earnest. A cherry picker was used to access the tower to carry out a close inspection before a detailed method of repair was drawn up by JRA.

The buttresses were taken apart stone by stone, each one carefully mapped to ensure they went back in the correct place. Any fractured and delaminated stones were replaced with ones of a similar size and shape from a local quarry.

PCA specified both traditional and discreet modern techniques to repair the tower. Seven different repair types were used including Heli-ties to ensure the buttresses and principal walls are now sufficiently tied together.

 

RICS Awards 2017

On
by Sophia Darke

St Mary’s Church, High Bickington has been shortlisted for the RICS Awards 2017 – South West in the Building Conservation category.

Paul Carpenter worked on this project in conjunction with Jonathan Rhind Architects utilising his extensive conservation experience to ensure the success of the necessary repair work undertaken to the church tower.

The Awards Ceremony is being held of 11th May 2017.