Restoration- Stone leads the way in protecting County Durham buildings
Two very different, but both significant, County Durham buildings are undergoing several thousand pounds worth of restoration and improvement work to protect them from further damage.
Darlington high level restoration and maintenance specialists, Stone Technical Services, have recently secured contracts totalling around £100,000 to carry our repairs on County Hall in Durham city and at Sockburn Hall, south of Darlington.
Sockburn Hall, a grand country house built in 1834, is listed by English Heritage on the Buildings at Risk Register. English Heritage is funding the general repairs and weather-proofing works which Stone is carrying out to protect it from further damage as part of the Sockburn Hall Project, which is working to restore the building and its grounds to its former glory. Stone is working alongside Cumbria structural engineers, Charles Blackett-Ord, on the project.
In Durham city, Stone’s team is carrying our extensive external façade repairs to County Hall’s masonry. In addition, Stone’s lightning protection division is upgrading the buildings lightning protection and installing the necessary surge protection. County Hall, at Aykley Heads, is Durham County Council’s headquarters and was opened by the Duke of Edinburgh in the 1960s.
Stone Technical Services employs 25 people at its Darlington headquarters and at its site in Pinner, Middlesex. The company specialises in all aspects of high level maintenance, lightning conductor installation and steeplejack services as well as restoration and masonry refurbishment projects on churches, museums, clock towers, castles, spires and historic buildings all over the UK.
Stone has worked on a variety of high profile buildings in 2009 such as St Paul’s Cathedral and Selfridges in London and for organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust as well as for well known industrial clients such as INEOS Plant Utilities and Teesside Power Station.
Managing director, Dave Stone said: “The projects in County Durham are examples of how two very different buildings need a range of work to preserve them for the future. Sockburn Hall is a beautiful 19th Century country house but it has sadly fallen into disrepair over the years. Hopefully, with sensitive restoration work, it can be restored to its former glory.
“County Hall in Durham is also of significant importance as it is home to Durham County Council which employs many staff and therefore has to be maintained in the correct manner. Hence we have upgraded their lightning protection and carried out repairs to ensure its safety for many years to come.”
