Pound Lane

Project: External Refurbishment Works

Location: Pound Lane, Canterbury

Client: Cranmer Investments Ltd

Contract: Minor Works

Value: £254,000

This project comprised the external repairs to the building occupied by the Kent School of Music and is located immediately adjacent to the Westgate Towers in Canterbury. The school itself remained operational during the project and appropriate measures were taken to ensure the safety of both visitors to the school and the adjacent Westgate Towers.

Under the guidance of Mark Van Blummestein of Pearson Gore the scheme incorporated extensive stone stabilisation works, which itself entailed lime putty pointing, fungicidal washing and stone repairs. The replacement of the leadwork to the flat roofs, gutters and flashings were a significant element of the project with over 6 tonnes of lead being installed by our own directly employed craftsmen. This together with the overhauling of the slate roofs meant that the scaffolding required to access the works resulted in a road closure of Pound Lane itself.

In addition, the windows to the building were also overhauled and repaired and a small amount of internal works were undertaken including redecorations and repairs and re-sanding and sealing to the woodblock floor in the concert room.

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St George the Martyr Church

Project: External Refurbishment Works

Location: Ramsgate

Client: The Parish Church Council of St George the Martyr

Contract: Intermediate

Value: £558,000

The main elements of the refurbishment of the external fabric of this church involved stonework replacement and repair works, re-roofing works with Welsh slates and extensive leadworks and associated timber repairs.

We worked closely with architect Philip Graham of Duncan + Graham and conservation architect John Chater throughout this interesting project. Much of the specialist work was undertaken by our own craftsmen in particular the lead valleys and flashings which weighed nearly 13 tonnes in total. Some of the diminishing Welsh slates to the Nave roof were up to a square metre in size and between 10-12mm thick. In addition the aisle roofs were also replaced in Welsh slates. In order to undertake these works we erected an extensive temporary roof to cover both the nave and aisle roofs to ensure the church could remain in operation at all times.

The stonework element of the project included a replacement of an ornate pinnacle stone to one of the parapets which will be used as a benchmark for future stone replacements to the church.

Although the works were mainly concentrated to the external fabric we also undertook a minor amount of hair and lime plaster repairs internally and resin repairs to the main trusses of the church.

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Landmark Centre

Project: Landmark Centre

Location: High Street, Deal

Client: The Landmark Centre

Contract: Intermediate Form

Value: £480,000

This scheme which was partly funded by English Heritage and undertaken under the guidance of architect Tom Roberts, structural engineer Geoff Street and quantity surveyor McCombs involved the conversion of a church to form the Landmark Centre. The conversion involved the formation of various community facilities including a new main function area to the first floor. In order to be able to undertake this element of the works the majority of the existing first floor balcony viewing area was removed to allow a new steel frame to be installed. Existing cast iron columns and oak beams were carefully taken down and reused within the new scheme to provide decorative non-structural features.

On the ground floor the existing timber suspended floor was removed and new foundations installed for sleeper walls to support a new beam and block floor. In addition new pad foundations were installed for the columns to the steel frame. Once erected the steel frame was then infilled with a timber structure and the overall floor zone incorporated underfloor heating below a Junckers dance floor. Other internal works included a disabled lift and a dumb waiter to serve the first floor; the ceiling to the first floor was relined and painted; and the external walls were coated with a distempered paint finish.

Other elements of the project included extensive stained glass window repairs and replacements, specialist repairs to the existing flying trusses and secondary steelwork to the roof to provide greater structural stability.

The external fabric of the building comprised stonework repairs and repointing works and aluminium powder coated glass entrance doors with specialist manifestations and ornate shaped fanlights above.

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Coolinge House

Project: Coolinge House

Location: Coolinge Lane, Folkestone

Client: Coolinge Developments Ltd

Contract: Design & Build

Value: £285,000

Coolinge House is a Grade II listed building and is the oldest recorded building in Folkestone. The conversion of the derelict structure into two 3 bedroom dwellings formed part of the Paddock Mews development which contained a further eleven new build properties.

We worked closely with the local conservation architect to retain as many of the existing features of the house as possible. In particular timbers to the roof were surveyed and the uneven lines of rafters and ridges were retained. In line with the planning permission the roof was stripped in three phases which also included the replacement of wall plate timbers in sections to match the existing details.

Once the roof structure works were complete the roof was then recovered with Kent Peg tiles and leadwork valleys and flashings to chimneys. Also externally the chimneys were rebuilt and refurbished where necessary. The mixture of stone and brickwork external walls were repaired and repointed and redecorated to retain the overall appearance.

The main challenge was then to carry out internal structural alterations to incorporate modern internal facilities. Ceilings were replaced throughout and the suspended timber ground floor was replaced with new concrete floors and screeds.

The finish internally is of a high quality and specification. In particular new bathrooms and kitchens were installed in line with the requirements of the speculative market.

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The Grand Shaft

Project: The Grand Shaft

Location: Snargate Street, Dover

Client: Dover District Council

Contract: Minor Works

Value: £275,000

The Grand Shaft is a triple staircase built in 1806-1809 to provide a short cut for troops from the Western Heights to the town. The shaft is 8 metres in diameter and 42 metres in height. At the bottom the three staircases meet which leads to Snargate Street.

Jenner was commissioned to undertake the rebuilding of the new gateway and guard house at the bottom of the shaft which were built off the existing foundations and were exact replicas of the original buildings. Apart from the interesting brickwork features, such as gauged arches to the gateway, we also installed boundary walls and railings together with new gates to the gateway itself. In addition granite setts were installed from the public footpath and through the new gateway to the bottom of the shaft.

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Casemates 4 & 5

Project: Repair and Reinstatement Works to Casemates 4 & 5

Location: Hythe Ranges

Client: Landmarc Support Services

Contract: Landmarc Works Order

Value: £50,000

This relatively small external refurbishment scheme illustrates the wide range of construction work that we undertake.

The Grade II listed building is a circular fort and because of the historical interest of the building the works were overseen by English Heritage.

The project itself consisted of brickwork repairs and repointing, together with the removal and re-asphalting of the roof above Casemates 4 & 5.

We are extremely pleased to have received recognition and commendation from both the Client and English Heritage for the works we have undertaken on this project.

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