Meldrum Construction was appointed to carry out the emergency restoration repairs of Thorpe Hall, a grade I-listed building and its entrance Lodge House, part of the Sue Ryder Hospice Organisation, a national charity.

The house is distinctive due to its rarity as one of the few mansions constructed during the Commonwealth period, stapling its place as a prominent and important part of local heritage.

The works consisted of the essential repair works to all Collyweston tiled roofs, sourcing identical materials locally recycling and reusing as many materials as possible to maintain the integrity and authenticity of the buildings. Uplift and relay of the cobbled courtyard and stabilisation and stonework repair works to the collapsing west wing gate. The Lodge House had similar roof works along with internal repairs to damaged ceilings, walls and floors.

Mansion House, West Wing & Lodge

Repairs were made to the Collyweston stone roof utilising re-claimed locally sourced stone and reusing damaged larger stone tiles and reforming them into smaller tiles and used appropriately.

The Lodge House

All existing guttering was removed and set aside to be refitted. A timber batten was then installed to bring the system forward as it was failing to catch rainfall. We then re-installed the guttering with minimum extension sections needed. Next, the failing laced valley was carefully removed, the salvageable stone tiles we then set aside for reuse elsewhere on the roof.

The lead pitched valley was then formed with mixture of newly quarried and re-claimed tiles used, maintaining the authenticity of the building.

Central Courtyard

The courtyard refurbishment was split into three phases to allow on-going access to the hospice. Special consideration was given to maintain ambulance access by having a Track mat system ready to lay at short notice.

Once work had begun, we discovered an underground brick-built tank. Requiring some investigation and the forming of a structural capping solution.

Drainage repairs were also carried out by means of specialist internal patch lining. This meant there was no excavations necessary, reducing the time required and minimised disruption to the Client.

West Wing Wall and Gate

It was important to us and our client that we preserved the integrity, heritage and charismatic listing of the existing wall and gate structure, which is why a specialist design process was formulated to temporary support and repair the arch on the gate mitigating risk of collapse during the underpinning works and taking away the need to remove the heavy ornate arch stonework to complete the works.

As with the courtyard we made another discovery. We had been given information to indicate that there was a culvert running beneath the gate. The position of which had a major bearing on how the methodology of the work had been based.

Once we started excavating where the culvert was believed to be we only found a drainage pipe. We then started excavating to progress with the underpinning pads at a distance of 3m from the gate, on the left side. As we dug, we discovered the culvert which was at odds with direction and position indicated in the original information we had received. The makeup of the ground under the wall is also different to what was originally thought. Given these facts the Client’s engineer reviewed our findings and the temporary works design was adapted and the sequence of works amended and executed to accordingly.