One of the wonderful things about being involved with Heritage Conservation is the variety of building’s that Grosvenor gets to work with.

Denbigh is a microcosm of our work.

Whilst we have a major project which involves conservation and new-build over at the medieval castle on the hill at Denbigh, further down nestled within the tight-knit curtilage of the town, Grosvenor has been busy as a bee at bringing the historic core back to life.

Here, Edwardian shop frontages butt up against Georgian and Jacobean houses. Such an eclectic mix of styles and fashions requires individual responses of expertise and understanding.

At Denbigh, Grosvenor is proud to have made a major contribution to the vitality and longevity of the towns future.

The grade II* listed Saint Elphin’s Church in Warrington his reputed to be the fifth highest parish church in the country. Dating from before Domesday, the church is now an organic mix of mainly C14th, C17th and C19th periods.

An extensive restoration took place in the latter half of the C19th which included the wonderful west window which dominates the view as  you walk along the cobbles and through the idyllic Georgian gateway into the church grounds.

Over 140 years after the last major restoration, the tracery details to the west window were eroding to a significant extent. Conservation and restoration wasn’t just a matter of merely copying the existing details, but also setting about planning a sensitive integration of new tracery with old.

This was an ideal job for Grosvenor because of our extensive knowledge of stone masonry and our access to the right type of skill-set, stone, specialist materials and plant.

A clear philosophy of minimum intervention lead the decision making process.

The end result has re-invigorated the view from the west again and should still be doing so for the people of Warrington for the next 140 years.

Denbigh Castle stands on a steep bluff overlooking the small town of Denbigh in North Wales for over 700 years.

The castle was a part of King Edward I’s ring of castles which were built to prevent the native Welsh from uprising.

The castle has survived attacks from Owain Glyndwr in 1400; the Earl of Pembroke in the 1500’s; and the Parliamentarians in the C17th.

In more recent times the onslaught of erosion and decay has been the biggest enemy of the iconic walls.

A two pronged approach was devised to both conserve the existing structure and embrace the castle’s popularity by building a new visitor centre within its walls.

Grosvenor are proud to be principal contractors on the site which involves the careful and sensitive conservation of the walls, ramparts and battlements, combined with the erection of a bespoke centre which will inform and delight the public.

Will Mellor, Site Manager continues: “This is a complex site with a challenging brief. Some of the walls require stabilising with the CINTEC anchoring system which provides strength combined with minimum intervention and impact upon the walls. On top of this, we have to ensure the timely completion of a state of the art Visitor Centre within the walls of the castle.”

More updates to follow.

Saint Giles Church in Wrexham is C15th Grade1 listed church which has within its grounds the gravestone of Elihu Yale, after whom Yale University, USA is named.

Grosvenor is currently involved in a large and complex scheme which involves the removal of the old vestry and the construction of a new Centre for Religious Education and Faith Studies.

Also a re-ordering of the south aisle and Chancel is taking  place.

More faith is being placed in our young operatives who are gaining valuable experience in learning traditional skills alongside our more experienced personnel.

New drainage connections externally have revealed valuable insights into the history of the church due to associated archaeology.

An unrecorded lead crypt was also uncovered (under the guidance of the Watching Brief) with 5 C18th lead coffins inside the vestry.

The year 1777 was a tumultuous year in terms historical significance. Over the pond, George  Washington’s men were fighting for Independence, and further afield, Captain Cook had discovered Christmas island.

On a more provincial level in the beautiful village of Llanarmon near Mold in North Wales, the lime mortar pointing was probably being completed to the ridges of the new school in readiness for its first intake of proud pupils.

Grade II listed Llanarmon Yn Ial old school became the hub of the community until recently when it started to fall into disrepair and at risk.

The community managed to raise enough funds to bring this beautiful building back to life and put it back at the heart of the locale.

Grosvenor sensitively conserved the existing building and built a new extension with the latest facilities to serve as a village meeting room.

Grosvenor  played an important role in refreshing news over at a farm near the city of Chester.

Funded with a grant from Natural England and under the guiding hand of Donald Insalls, we refurbished a series of agricultural buildings with a view to – wait for it- re-using them as agricultural buildings!

No conversions here.

The series of buildings were in poor repair and required  a range of skills including – timber work, brick and stone replacement, repointing and re-roofing.

Now that’s a refreshing change.

More images:

Morgan’s Mount is a tower structure which is a part of Chester City Wall (designated a World Heritage Site).

It was built in 1645 as an observational platform during the English Civil War and named after the Royalist that built it – Captain Edward Morgan.

Chester city walls are visited by over 205 million people annually and subsequently they undergo a lot of wear and tear.

Image courtesy of Chester City Council

Erosion of the sandstone is also a problem.

Grosvenor’s work will include removing and re-building sections of the wall, as well as conserving existing parts.

We will be working in partnership with archaeologists who will be regularly on site to inspect revealed areas.

It’s a real honour to be part of such a rich tapestry of history which dates back to Roman times.

Grosvenor’s expertise in masonry conservation and experience in heritage projects will ensure that the walls are enjoyed for millennia to come.

More information here.

As well as our building conservation projects, Grosvenor also does a lot of reordering of churches to suite new liturgical practice. Our conservation background helps provide a sensitive and philosophical approach to such subjects based upon the conservation principles we work with day in and day out. St. Mary Magdalene is such a reordering which included for installation of new community based areas to the west end of the church.

Grosvenor are proud to be working on a wonderful school renovation in Llanarmon yn lal, Wales, which dates from 1777.

It has been a project which has seen the whole community raise funds to provide modern community facilities.

The project was recently visited by the local MP where Grosvenor’s traditional skills were on display.

The school project heralds the continuation of a remarkably successful year for Grosvenor and is a clear result of investment in heritage skills and bespoke services.

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