Conservation and Repair of Listed Buildings
Understanding traditional building techniques and current conservation methods is essential when working with listed buildings. The following are examples of our work with historic buildings, ranging in scale from historic plaster repairs and stone cleaning to the complete reconstruction of a derelict farmhouse.
Saving a Derelict Farmhouse
Gould Architects were appointed to survey and record the remains of Brimbleworth Farm, a derelict, Grade II listed Medieval farmhouse in Somerset that suffered severe fire damage. Once the building had been made safe, we designed repairs to help save the building from further collapse.
Important historic features were retained, and the building was repaired using traditional materials and methods.
Repairing a Historic Plaster Ceiling
Using a small fragment of salvaged cornice, we cleaned the plaster to reveal the original design. The details we uncovered enabled us to create accurate drawings and specifications for the specialist plaster repairs and obtain Listed Building Consent approval for the work.
Gould Architects were appointed to detail and specify the repairs to a decorative plaster ceiling that collapsed in a Grade I Listed townhouse in Bath. We worked with Morcom Design Workshop to determine the reason for the ceiling’s failure and to design new structural supports for the ceiling.
Revealing a Stone Facade
This Grade II listed cottage had been painted with modern masonry paint, which had trapped moisture and was damaging the stone. Gould Architects prepared a Heritage Statement to justify the changes and specified approved paint removal methods that were carefully tested before Listed Building Consent could be obtained.
Removing the paint revealed cracks and damaged stones. Gould Architects specified the conservative repairs and stone replacement, obtained Listed Building Consent approval and inspected the work while on site. The masonry was repaired using carefully selected Cotswold stone and natural lime mortar mixes to complement the original building.