One Of Newcastle’s Oldest Buildings Sees Modern Makeover

Alderman Fenwick’s House, one of the most historically important buildings in Newcastle has seen a modern transformation through significant investment by a business space provider.

Constructed 1670, the Grade I listing building’s restoration was undertaken by the Tyne and Wear Building Preservation Trust before the building was bought by Central Space in December.

The building was initially built in the 17th Century as a merchant’s house and was later named after Newcastle Mayor Nicholas Fenwick, who was Mayor of Newcastle in 1720, 1726 and was an MP for Newcastle for 20 years from 1727 to 1747, with alderman simply meaning an elder in the historical sense.

It has seen many different uses in the past, including as a coaching inn where the novelist Charles Dickens stayed.

It is now seen as one of the most important townhouses of its kind in the North of England, and the restoration seeks to transform it into an attractive, modern business space complete with the heritage features you would expect from a 17th-century building.

Central Spaces’ upgrades beyond the existing restorations include installing ultra-fast broadband internet for all of its occupiers, a contemporary breakout space for office staff working there as well as modern meeting rooms.

As well as this, a phased refurbishment has been planned to replace the décor, lighting and flooring, whilst being mindful of the protected features of the historic building.

Central Space is keen to keep the building’s character intact, including its grand entrance hall and cupola.

Do you need help with lath & plaster? Get in touch with Ovolo London today.

How To Prevent Heritage Crime

If you’re the custodian of a listed or heritage building, it’s important that you know what steps you need to take to protect it as, unfortunately, heritage crime is a very real threat to such sites and it can be very damaging indeed.

Figures from Historic England show that, in England, historic places are targeted for valuable materials and artefacts, with an estimated 18.7 per cent of all listed buildings physically affected by crime in 2011 - more than 70,000 sites in total.

The biggest single threat was found to be metal theft, while the most threatened type of building was churches, with around three in eight churches or religious sites damaged by crime.

So what can be done to tackle the problem head on and deter potential vandals and thieves from targeting the sites you’re in charge of?

Historic England has a very useful guide to help building owners and managers prevent heritage crime, which includes crime prevention measures (which may need consent), denying access, monitoring exits, formal surveillance, concealing targets, removing temptation, marking property and so on.

What is particularly important to remember where crime prevention measures are concerned is that you may need to sort out planning permission, listed building consent, advertisement consent or scheduled monument consent in order to move ahead with these plans. It can be an offence to carry out work without consent if it is indeed required.

It would be wise to get in touch with your local authority planning department if you’re in doubt as to whether consent is necessary in order to introduce crime prevention measures.

For help with listed building restoration, get in touch with Ovolo London today.

Historic Art Deco Cinema Saved From Hotel Conversion

A West End theatre turned cinema will not be converted into a hotel after a planning application was rejected, lending hopes it can be brought back to its former glory.

The Saville Theatre, a Grade II listed Art Deco theatre that is currently an Odeon cinema, is primarily known for its famous 40m long relief across its front, known as “Drama Through The Ages”.

This has raised hopes in the theatre world that listed building restoration can bring the historic structure back to its former glory.

The Saville Theatre was originally opened in 1931 and spent nearly 40 years as a live performance venue until 1970 when it was converted into a twin cinema, and later a four-screen cinema in 2001.

In 2018 it was set to be converted into a hotel, with a basement cinema as a small memorial to the venue’s importance to the art world. However, an investigation that took place revealed that a substantial amount of the old theatre had survived throughout the years.

The old stage house remained large parts of the outer walls and original roof, the dressing room block as well as the staircases. There may be even more of the original Art Deco design underneath the fabric.

Converting the building into a hotel would have destroyed any chance of restoration and destroyed all of the surviving interior details, leaving just a fascia, which led to the application’s rejection in 2018, 2019 and 2021.

Due to this discovery, any potential conversion will need to be a cultural venue, to ensure it does not damage the original aesthetic.

Top Tips For Looking After Historic Buildings

Renovating historic or listed buildings can be quite tricky and if you’re the custodian of such a site, it’s essential that you know what you’re doing and what your particular responsibilities are in this regard.

The Historic England website is an incredible resource for anyone embarking on a restoration project, no matter how big or small. It explains the various approaches to repair that you can adopt, helping you get off on the right foot at the outset.

As the organisation explains, you should only use techniques and materials that are appropriate to the fabric of the building, either the same as the parent material or something that has technically and aesthetically compatible properties if the original material isn’t available.

The idea behind any and all interventions is to maximise the life expectancy of the building in line with sustaining the significance of the property. It is also important to make sure that interventions are reversible or retreatable at the very least, while not prejudicing future interventions as and when these are required.

Keeping adequate records is also necessary and these should be made available for others to use, with interventions contributing to the sustainability of future management and maintenance where necessary.

If you’re keen to make your site more energy efficient, Historic England also has a section covering this on its website. Advice includes understanding the significance of the building and any harm that could be done because of the changes being made.

It is also necessary to understand how local environmental factors will influence the buildings, including wind, rain and sun.

With just a little bit of research and preparation, you should be able to successfully restore your particular building - and you can easily get in touch with the team here at Ovolo if you need any help with cornice restoration in London.

Serial Arsonist Faces Life Sentence For Burning Listed Building

A man accused of torching a Grade II listed church in Middlesbrough has been warned he could face a life sentence for the crime.

The church on Millbank Street, South Bank, had been previously used as a community centre and a community centre but at the time of the crime lay empty.

The fire devastated the building, destroying the entire upper part of the roof and causing one of the gable walls to be left in a dangerous condition.

Stefan Geary, 49, claimed to have been staying in the building at the time and it was the result of an attempt to keep warm which got out of hand, although prosecutors also noted he had admitted to being the “arsonist” to firefighters.

Mr Geary has had a history of arson dating back over 25 years. In 1995 the Hartlepool native set fire to a building he had decorated in a payment dispute, receiving a three-year prison sentence as a result.

He made national news reports after a spree of arson attacks in Tyneside in 2003, setting fire to Christ Church in Jarrow, another Grade II listed building, as well as two schools, calling the fire brigade himself so he could watch firefighters tackle the blaze.

He received 15 years for his crimes before it was reduced to 10 on appeal.

Because of his long list of arsons, Judge Jonathan Carroll warned that Mr Geary could face a mandatory life sentence.

The Millbank Street former presbytery has been dated as far back as 1881 and has seen previous use as a probation hostel, as well as a community centre before being abandoned.

The Grade II structure had been set for a listed building restoration which would have converted the building into a hostel again, but ultimately these plans were rejected for safeguarding concerns.

Top Tips For Repairing A Cornice

Cornices, besides making any room or roof seem beautifully elegant, also has an important practical purpose of covering the joint between the walls and ceiling of a building.

Whilst the cornice dates back millennia to the era of the classical order, as the top part of an exterior entablature, it was first brought indoors as part of Italian renaissance architecture.

Whilst we have seen so many different creative styles and eras of cornices, the common ground between them all is how difficult a design can be to restore. This is in no small part because of how many layers of paint need to be removed to reach the original plaster.

In some small cases, however, it is possible to do some mild repair work yourself. Here are some ways to make the job easier.

Use a Paint Removal Product

Whilst sugar salt, a wire brush and many many hours of labour can remove the old layers of paint, it is far easier to use a specialist paint removal product that can soften the old layers of paint and make them easier to remove without damaging the cornice plaster.

Be very careful when removing paint, as the plaster underneath it is both weaker and older.

Use Multiple Plaster Coats

As anyone who has made a plaster sculpture will know, plaster is a versatile but frail material that is prone to breaking.

Once you have applied your first coat of plaster and waited for the material to dry fully, apply a second coat of plaster, let that dry and use a dedicated plaster paint to protect the whole design from future damage.

What To Think About When Insulating A Period Property

If the UK is to achieve its goal of going net zero by 2050, the country’s existing housing stock will need to be retrofitted in order to meet climate change targets.

In fact, a recent report from the Climate Change Committee concluded that these legally binding targets - which were ratified in law in 2019 - concluded that “climate change targets will not be met without the near-complete elimination of greenhouse gas emissions from UK buildings”.

The report went on to note that retrofitting existing homes and making sure they’re low carbon and resilient to the changing climate is a major priority for infrastructure and support from the Treasury is essential.

It called for greater uptake of energy efficiency measures like loft and wall insulation, as well as upgrades and repairs that include plans to improve water efficiency and air quality, reduce indoor moisture, shading and ventilation, and so on.

For period properties and listed buildings, retrofitting may seem like a daunting prospect, but it is certainly possible to achieve with expert help and guidance.

You will need to make sure that you have a solid understanding of the fabric of your particular building and only carry out work that will maintain the breathability of the construction materials, because older buildings manage damp and moisture differently to new builds.

Modern construction involves the use of damp proof membranes, which homes built before 1920 or thereabouts don’t have.

Other considerations you will need to take into account include making sure that you have listed building consent and the proper planning permission in place before undertaking any work. You can run into legal trouble if you do work onsite without this.

Do you need help with lath & plaster? Get in touch with Ovolo London today.

Eco-Friendly Wall Finishes For Your Renovation Project

Being eco-friendly with home improvements is becoming increasingly important and we all have our part to play where environmental responsibility is concerned. An easy place to make inroads in this regard is with your home and there’s a lot that can be done to make your property more green and energy efficient.

When it comes to your wall finishes, there are various options available to you if you do want to be more eco-conscious in this regard - and, because it’s not necessarily the biggest job in the world, it could be a great place to start with eco renovations, rather than jumping straight in with a bigger project like a rainwater harvesting system.

Something like limewash could be a good choice if you’re keen to be more sustainable, as it’s just a mixture of natural clay, minerals and pigments, with no chemicals involved in production so you get a quality product without any solvents or toxins.

Limewash is also a great option for period properties, as it works in conjunction with older building materials, so can help ensure the breathability of the property - an essential consideration when doing up older homes.

You can also buy eco-friendly paint, which is also made out of clay and other natural materials, which has all sorts of benefits for you and your home, including no volatile organic compounds (which are high pollutants) and low odour. The all-natural ingredient list also means these products have a low environmental impact.

Other materials to consider include reclaimed wood, recycled tiles, straw, bamboo and so on, all of which can be used throughout your property to really make it more eco-friendly.

For help with listed building restoration, get in touch with Ovolo today.