News
Skillingtons win important contract for the National Trust
Skillingtons have won by competitive tender the contract for the refurbishment of three towers at Hardwick Hall, Derbyshire, working directly for the National Trust. Starting work just before Easter, we are working in close liaison with our friend and master plasterer Jeff Orton, with our own master plasterer Philip Gaches heading the team on site. We are carrying out extensive repairs to the 16th century plasterwork including running in missing sections of cornice and modelling to missing fragments of decorative plaster overmantles. We are also carrying out extensive patching to the historic gypsum plaster floors, and decorating the three rooms on completion.
Skillingtons have also worked directly for the Trust at Calke Abbey recently, and as sub-contractors to Bennie Historic to decorative plaster at Kedleston. Philip Gaches has recently been awarded a major national trophy for his plasterwork at Belton House.
Work about to start on a 30 metre high church tower in Suffolk!
Skillingtons have won a major contract by competitive tender for the conservation of masonry to three sides of the wonderfully ornate tower of Laxfield church, Suffolk. Being employed by the PCC, with Ruth Blackman (Birdsall, Swash & Blackman) as architect for the contract, and with major English Heritage funding we will be carrying out sensitive repairs to the Caen limestone, Kentish ragstone and decorative flint work throughout the summer and autumn of 2009.
Skillingtons have worked on numerous church towers over the years, the very first one we did being on Skillington church!
Strawberry Hill
We are privileged to have been awarded a major plastering package, as sub-contractors to E.Bowman & Sons Ltd of Stamford, to this wonderful house in Twickenham. Largely constructed for Horace Walpole between 1749 and 1766, this Gothic mansion was without doubt the most influential of the early Gothic Revival buildings in Britain, and it is very special indeed to be conserving and restoring the wonderful plasterwork here. Having just completed a major lime plastering contract at Easton Neston, Skillingtons are now firmly established as one of the leading traditional plasterwork firms in the country.
39/39A/41 High Street, Colsterworth
Skillingtons have been appointed as building contractors for the extensive alteration and refurbishment of these listed buildings for a private client. Commencing with organising planning permission and listed building consent our quantity surveyor has drawn up detailed priced schedules for the three phases of work required. Following negotiations with our client Phase 1, costing around £150,000, commences at Easter 2009 to have the two principal properties altered and renovated as weather-tight externally complete shells ready for internal fit-out (Phase 2) by December.
This project utilises Skillingtons experience as principal contractors, managed by our in-house team of project managers and quantity surveying for complex historic building projects, as previously exemplified by our work at Bentley Hall during 2007-8.