Historic Buildings & Conservation

Our alteration experience covers every type of historic conservation and listed grade possible. From the grandest castle to the humblest greenhouse, church spires to Victorian public toilets.

Usually it involves detailed negotiations with bodies such as English Heritage, the National Amenity Societies, Local Planning Authorities and Diocesan Advisory Committees.

We strive to find a sensitive and appropriate solution that will meet your needs, without compromising the historic integrity of the original building.

For new buildings in a historic environment we favour sympathetic, contemporary design.

We have completed a number of new build projects, including visitor centres, museums, art galleries, archives, houses, colleges and commercial buildings. Clients include the National Trust, Councils, commercial developers and private investors.

We do not have a ‘house style’. Instead we work closely with you to develop the design. A careful site analysis, budget, programme schedule and any legislative parameters will help guide the outcome.

Feasibility studies are common at the start of a project. We will work to your initial brief and prepare a range of design solutions, before listening to your feedback.

We can provide sketches, 3D visualisations and plans of our proposals so that they can be understood by everyone, even those not familiar with technical drawings.

The study can also include a cost appraisal. This will help you consider the financial implications of the various options. We would recommend appointing a Quantity Surveyor who is suitably experienced in conservation projects.

A major part of our work involves building surveys and the production of reports and maintenance plans. These range from:

• Building condition surveys
• Historic building assessments/statements of significance
• Impact assessments
• Conservation management plans
• Conservation area appraisals and national parks assessments
• Recording of assets, including investigation

We identify the significant aspects of the building and which areas for repair take priority, before preparing a full works programmes.

Our previous projects have been funded by:

• Heritage Lottery Fund
• BIG Lottery Fund
• European Regional Development Fund
• Arts Council
• The Wolfson Foundation
• Clore Duffield, and,
• many other smaller funding bodies

We we give you initial advise, prepare drawings and documentation, assist in preparing the funding application and subsequently, once a grant has been awarded, bring the project to life.

One of our strengths is the range of specialist skills available in-house, allowing us to bring a multi-disciplinary team on-board. Our town planners are well versed in the intricacies of historic building conservation, and in particular:

• have a wide knowledge of planning and heritage practice
• formulate planning strategies
• prepare and negotiate planning/LBC applications
• handle planning appeals by all procedures, and,
• have experience of Local Planning Authorities nationwide

In addition, our building surveying team are qualified conservation specialists. They can conducting historic building surveys and will managing ongoing maintenance and repair programmes.

Where appropriate, we also utilise other expertise from throughout the practice, including interior and graphic design.