Furniss & Sons ltd
@furniss_sons
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Historic building restoration & conservation contractors. Quality heritage building & refurbishment works undertaken by our team of craftspeople
Wentworth
Joined March 2013
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Careful where you walk in a Churchyard. Here a hole has opened up revealing a subterranean chamber, on climbing into the chamber it was found to be a long forgotten Crypt stacked full of coffins, much of the timber has decayed leaving the lead linings, name plates & brass handles
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Stone replacement, Rockingham Arms / Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate. Some of the severely eroded stones were becoming unstable, they have been replaced with closely matching newly quarried ferrunginious sand stone. The new ashlars were carefully tooled to match existing examples
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Built to last. This row of half timbered cottages have been dated to 1390. Skilled Joiners knowingly followed the lead of the timbers, making construction very strong and consequently organic in appearance. Many theories regarding jettying, mine is the additional free floor space
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Wonderful Medieval timbers uncovered during roofing works to the Bell Tower
@ASPYork
Looking closely it would seem that the timbers may have been reclaimed at the time they were built into the Lantern, over 600 years ago. How long then, since they were felled ?.....
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Built to last...
This very practical, no nonsense oak staircase which leads up the bell tower at All Saints Church Goodmanham was built around 1570 !! A brilliant piece of joinery work & a joy to climb.
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A great pleasure to see skills of long gone craftsmen. Here a roof built from English oak uncovered after 330 years, appears to be built from even earlier salvaged timbers, some bearing tenons, mortices & carpenters marks from their previous life, overlaid with hand sawn boards..
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Locking stone copings together using molten lead, besides preventing water entering into the wall head, the lead will also act as a flexible jointing medium, should last indefinitely to help preserve the valuable masonry below, not sure if there is a modern alternative to compare
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Repairs and replacement of in situ run coving. A profile of existing surviving mould is taken, the profile is then transferred onto a hand made stock, once a batten has been set, the core can be run followed by the finishing run, finally the making good, all using lime putty mix
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Great find today, another brick containing a dog paw print. This is the second one found in brickwork we are carefully dismantling for re use, The brick is two & a quarter inch, so probably early 18th c. Wonder how many more are out there hidden from site ?
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Look closely at this stonework forming an arch, you will see strange marks carved into it. Each individual piece of stone (voussoir) carries a mark. Masons were paid by piece work & identified each piece carved with a mark These Medieval voussoirs were carved around the year 1350
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200 year old hand made bricks pointed with cement.
Can this exercise in awfulness be surpassed ?
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Many medieval half timbered building still survive just below the surface of a later development. Skinning around existing buildings appears to have been common practice from farm cottages to larger manor houses, here work has been undertaken to conserve one such example at FWE
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Traditional Roofing,
Huge king post trusses and purlins manufactured from oak had to be strong enough to carry the 30 tons of reclaimed stone slates needed, each slate is pegged in the traditional way, the roof was topped with reclaimed stone ridges and pointed using lime mortar
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Before, during and after. Rubble brought to course stone work replacement. Traditional Yorkshire sliding sash window and batten door, with blacksmith made ironmongery. Cottage refurbishment work at Fitzwilliam Wentworth Eatate
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Stone replacement The building dates to 1814, once opened up we could see the flue arrangement built into the gable (a feature not often exposed) not sure a climbing boy could have negotiated this lot. The modern bricks forming the chimney stack were replaced for hand made bricks
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Iron cramps being replaced to a large stone cornice. The 17th c. iron cramps after 250 years of service were decayed & failing. New stainless steel cramps are secured in the traditional way using molten lead, this ensures maximum flexibility, should be good for another 250 years
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New stainless steel roof
Following theft of lead it was decided to replace the roof covering to this Grade I Church with stainless steel We have crafted the sheet steel to closely resemble the previous lead roof in appearance, attention to detail when jointing is hugely important
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Whorlton Castle, carrying out high level inspection of the 14th c. gatehouse prior to conservation works being undertaken to the ruins of the medieval motte & bailey castle
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Same building, same bricks, these beautiful hand made bricks date to 1730 they have been extremely well laid by very skilled bricklayers in the flemish bond. Look at the two photos, one is as left by the bricklayer 290 years ago, the other was improved with cement pointing c.1970
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Work begins to decorate the interior of All Saints Church, North Street York. The earliest part of the beautiful Grade I Church dates to the 12th century, it contains some of the finest medieval glass in York with ten windows ranging from 1330 to 1440
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Before, during and after rebuilding works to the walled garden at the Grade I Wentworth Castle. Each of the 290 year hand made bricks were carefully lifted away hand cleaned, then relaid on a bed of lime mortar to the original bond. The wall is 500mm thick solid brickwork
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Should keep out anything that our weather can throw at it. New lead work, correctly installed, stone replacement & deep lime pointing, very cost effective, should be good for a lifetime (at least) then 100% recyclable.
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Rare chance to see centuries old oak roof structure. The fleeting glimpse will be covered over once again within a day and hidden out of sight for who knows how long.
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Team member Tom undertaking repairs to the Font at St. Helen's, Stonegate, York. The mid 12th.c bowl sits quietly on its 15th.c quatrefoil foot, this stands on its 13th.c base. How many babes in arms have been wetted here over the last 900 years... mind boggling.....
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New lead work if installed correctly will enhance the appearance of a building, it requires virtually no maintenance and should be trouble free for many decades. The material is 100% recyclable, real value for money. This example just completed at a Grade II* Historic Building
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Little known Ostlers House, part of the Stable Block
@Wentworth_House
A large Georgian Manor House in itself though overshadowed by the colossal scale of the Mansion in who's grounds it sits. Dating to c.1775 unmistakably John Carr of York, looking splendid in its snowy mantle
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A rarely seen aspect of
@Wentworth_House
taken during stabilisation works by
@furnissheating
. I stand on the very complex timber matrix which supports the ornate plaster pediment ceiling below, behind me is the inner face of Tympanum, carrying the Arms & motto Glory is my Faith
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Team member James enjoying fixing nice new code 8 sand cast lead roof panels, 17th c. Grade II* Country House refurbishment.
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Discovered during restoration work at the Stable Block
@Wentworth_House
Original 18th c. joinery forming the race horse stalls. The infrastructure was previously thought to have been lost. These valuable Architectural features can now be saved.
The Stables are now open for tours.
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Replacement boot scraper, a device for scraping mud from the soles of your boots or pulling boots off before entering the door, common in 18th & 19th c cottages. This charming example along with tooled ashlars are being replaced at a village pub at Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate
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Rainwater goods 190 years since installed & still working perfectly well, if maintained could go as long again. Proper value for money, looks good & recyclable (unlike plastic) The tenant George Thompson, Gardner at nearby
@Wentworth_House
& Parish Clerk left his mark on the roof
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Perimeter walling, Country Estate, rubble brought to course, all reclaimed stone, lime mortar, skilled Masons
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Interesting find at
@Wentworth_House
Discovered by
@furnissheating
during restoration work at the Stable Block. The original doors & wings to the Race Horse loose boxes were previously thought to have been lost. These important 18th c. Architectural features can now be saved
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The outlook from the viewing platform at the top of Hoober Stand, the 150 steps elevate you to a height of 98 feet, The views are phenomenal on a bright day like this. I could clearly see York Minster 50 miles away, & much nearer the huge restoration at Wentworth Woodhouse
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Interesting historic graffiti revealed during restoration works at Darley Cliffe Hall
The markings scribed into lead roofs by long gone people are being carefully removed & conserved they are to be reattached to the new roof. Interesting record of the changing shape of footwear
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Completed, the new lead roof to the Lantern Tower at
@ASPYork
All in code 8 sand cast lead, date plate also cast & fixed in place, been a privilege to have undertaken, a real joy.....
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Team members enjoying carrying out stone replacement at the magnificent Hoober Stand. Completed in 1748 by The Marques of Rockingham as a monument to the defeat of the Jacobite Rebellion. The outlook from the high level viewing platform over surrounding countryside is stunning
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Names of the craftsmen involved in the new stone flooring to the East Front, Wentworth Woodhouse has been carved into the underside of the last stone prior to laying. An earlier example seen here was uncovered recently. You too can "Make Your Mark in History"
@Wentworth_House
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All Saints North Street, York,
The light within.......
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Nice cluster of carpenters marks dating to c.1730 This neat piece of work forms a principal rafter, tie beam, wall plate intersection, part of the Brewhouse roof
@Wentworth_House
Look closely at the smaller rafter you can see marks left by hand sawing of the timber in a saw pit
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Medieval common trusses, originally thought to have carried thatch. Around 200 years ago thatch was replaced with much heavier stone roof tiles, slowly over the decades the roof failed under the increased weight. Replacement oak king post trusses have been manufactured and fixed.
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The secret life of handmade bricks, these two examples from our collection of brick curiosities date to around 1730, one is impressed with the paw print of a large dog, the other with a boot print complete with hobnails, they weren't wasted, but fired & used for internal walling.
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Stone Replacement. Here damage has been caused to window tracery by cramp jack. This happens when iron cramps which are commonly used to stitch stone structures together rust and expand resulting in stone being blown apart. Maintaining pointing will prevent this type of damage
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Just a few of many Masons Marks spotted on masonry at
@Wentworth_House
If only there was a data base of Masons and their marks..... Would be fascinating to know the names of the long gone craftsmen who left these marks behind
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Conservation work to a recently revealed oak roof structure.
The 400 year old timbers forming part of the roof of Tudor Manor House are being carefully cleaned back to their natural very warm ginger colour. They had partially suffered the black & white treatment in the 1980's !
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Pleasure to be carrying out repairs to one of the two very pleasing curved Venetian windows to The Back Front
@Wentworth_House
Constructed around 1727 from finely carved local sandstone they are enhanced by the most refined & slender glazing bars possible to produce immense skill
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With all this rain we are having efficient ways of keeping the water out of Historic Buildings is ever more important. Here a new rainwater chute has been manufactured in our Workshop. The 4mtr long, code 8 lead chute weighs in at over 100 kg & is now good to go & start its work
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Carpenters marks spotted in a 14 c. Church bell tower by
@furnissheating
. The oak timbers making up the bell frame look to be reclaimed, so they are probably salvaged from an even earlier building, interestingly the joiner has marked the joint VIIII rather than IX
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Interesting detail built into one of Yorks medieval Churches, a broken piece of coffin lid has been used as walling stone. The wall into which it is built was completed in 1410. There are lots more pieces of reclaim coffins & monumental stones built into this Church, fascinating,
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Working our way up one of the grand staircases at
@Wentworth_House
Here we are carrying out conservation works to the finely carved stone treads. The cantilever stair which seems to float in mid air over four floors is richly adorned with skilfully crafted wrought balustradings
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Harold Cyril Webb was 15 yrs old when he scratched his name on the roof at The Stable Block
@Wentworth_House
he lived 1 mile away at Hoober Farm where his dad was a Farm Labourer. He moved to the nearby village of Elsecar where he became a carpenter & Joiner at the local Colliery
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Spotted this oak timber forming part of the roof of Darley Cliffe Hall, it was put here in around 1680 as reclaim when the roof was constructed, but must be much earlier possibly part of the previous Tudor Hall. Great set of carpenters marks, VIIII as opposed to the reversible IX
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Very nice example of a Masons mark.
Uncovered whist carrying out refurbishment works to The Old Vicarage, Wentworth. The mark has quietly lain hidden behind plasterwork for around 340 years...
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Traditional lead rainwater goods. Sand cast lead downpipes & shoe just manufactured in our workshop & good to go, will be fixing to a Grade I Medieval Church tomorrow.
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@furnissheating
are undertaking an interesting project to rediscover a forgotten I8th c. cobbled inner court yard at
@Wentworth_House
. As tarmac was being carefully lifted away by hand we were amazed to find revealed the original cobbled yard below not been seen for around 60 yrs
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Interesting carpenters assembly marks spotted on oak beams at
@Wentworth_House
The Joiner has marked his no. 5 as IIIII as apposed to V. wonder why, must be a reason ?
Immense skill & knowledge seen here was passed down Master to Lad unbroken over centuries, now lost to time....
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High Quality Lead Roofing Undertaken
The roof panels are hand made from 100% recyclable material. Here the under cloak is bossed and the over cloak welded along exposed and concealed faces, this is then overlaid with a clipped lap apron, all ensuring a long and trouble free life
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This small trowel was used during the building of the West Front
@Wentworth_House
c.1725 It was found during excavation work. Beautifully hand crafted by a Blacksmith, measuring 180mm in length, & still has traces of lime mortar from its last use, but in who's hand I wonder.....
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An illustration of the severe damage caused by iron cramps Open joints have allowed water to come into contact with the the iron work causing it to expand this will need to be removed prior to the window tracery being repaired. Interesting to see the Masons mark, wonder who he is
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Speaking of rainwater goods, here are some examples restored by ourselves for
@Wentworth_House
You can see the before & after versions on the work table, these date to 1743. Wasn't overly keen on the wallpaper adorning the temporary workshop we set up in the West Front Nursery !!
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Interesting Joiners assembly marks cut into floor joists, they date to around 1835. I read them as 20 & 29 ?Discovered inside Doric Lodge, a Gate House on the Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate constructed in the form of a Tetrastyle Greek Temple by Charles Watson & James Pritchett
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Maintaining The Pillared Hall
@Wentworth_House
After almost 300 hundred of years of continuous use the stone floor is in very good condition, needing only minor repairs. Testament indeed to the immense skill & virtuosity of the Masons responsible for creating it.....
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Replacement tracery and widow mouldings.
Templates are taken, followed by removal of the badly eroded stonework. The replacements are skilfully masoned in the workshop then seamlessly fixed on site.
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All Saints North Street York, magnificent Grade I Medieval Church, works include decoration, gilding joinery and traditional plastering all of the time being looked over by glorious Angels who are carved into the hammer beam corbels, and have been sitting quietly there since 1470
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Rainwater ingress can cause severe stone erosion over a surprisingly short period of time. Here a decorative lintel part of a door surround dating to 1760 by John Carr is beginning to suffer. To prevent further rain water entering the masonry a new lead apron has been fixed.
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Sheet lead flashings, cladding and protecting severely eroded stone cills, a solution for tidying up and preventing further decay to surrounding fabric until funding becomes available to replace the cills, the works were carried out at an important Grade II* Roman Catholic Church
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Cottage boundary wall, village setting, rebuilt to replicate the appearance of the original centuries old wall, built using 100 % recycled walling stone, maintaining the regional pattern of English building for everyone to enjoy, Fitzwilliam Wentworth Estate.
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Look closely look at decorative architectural stonework found on Historic Buildings, you can often find assembly marks, they are usually tucked away around the back, or some where out of sight. They are there to help the Fixer Mason match up components correctly during the build.
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Images of two Stone Masons working stone separated by 500 years. Incredible that these extremely impressive skills have passed down the centuries generation by generation, master to apprentice, inspirational.....
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More fascinating Carpenters marks discovered during roof works to the oldest surviving part of
@Wentworth_House
Interestingly the joiner has combined some of the numerals possibly for ease of cutting / reading ?
Great to find detail like this after centuries of being hidden.....
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How fortunate we are in this Kingdom to have inherited such a valuable treasure trove of wonderful historic buildings, there to be enjoyed by anyone who cares to look....
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About to start restoration work to The North Bastion
@Wentworth_House
There is some debate about its age. Have uncovered a date of 1743 carved into a batter stone. The matching South Bastion which is much higher & has a built in sundial is thought to date to the mid 1730's
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High level rainwater goods fitted. New weir chute, down pipe & splash plate, should keep the rain out & importantly help to preserve the building.
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More from the Brew House roof;
And yes
@Wentworth_House
did have its own in built brewery ! The skilfully crafted joint seen here is a purlin - rafter intersection, all nicely marked with scribe lines & neatly numbered up as joint no. 24, I think ?
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Replacement lead roof - Grade I Historic Building.
Ventilated roof space, lead chutes, lead lined gutters, lead splash lap aprons & flashings. Extremely cost effective option. If installed correctly minimal maintenance required for over a century & then 100% recyclable......
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New Lead Weir Chute
Manufactured & fixed at a Grade I Church, Rain water normally flows down the spout to the hopper. If a blockage occurs water is diverted over the inbuilt barrier chuting safely away from the building preventing water damage & drawing attention to the problem
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High quality joinery...Oak king post truss & purlins built and assembled on site, they will support the new roof of an additional North wing under construction by Furniss & Sons at a magnificent 17th c. Grade II* Country House
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Amazing Graffiti discovered at
@Wentworth_house
, the beautiful copperplate carving was found on the underside of a flooring stone from the Big House. It is likely to have been carved John Uttley the sculptor named on the flag stone, an ancestor of
@furnissheating
a wonderful find
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Team member James at his workstation on top of the lantern roof at All Saints Pavement, York. He is about to begin installing a new lead roof, the previous roof had lasted 185 years, his first job was getting everything up there from the street 110 feet below
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All Saints Helmsley, North Transept, new roof cover almost complete. High quality reclaimed Westmorland Slate, laid in random bond with diminishing courses. Challenging lead work to undertake at a complicated roof intersection, all very enjoyable....
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Grand morning,
New roof being installed over All Saints Church, Helmsley. Westmorland Slates are being fixed random bond to diminishing courses, very enjoyable in the Spring sunshine...
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Pair of Georgian Gothic gateposts weighing in at around a ton of seasoned oak, hand carved, just off to the paint shop...
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The old and the new, a 500 year old section of ridge beam meets a section of new oak ridge. The oak king post trusses are all sat in place now and the purlins are going back on, great to see.
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Another life revealed by the "Oak Beam" inside the roof space at
@Wentworth_House
Percy White chalked his name here 97 years ago in 1922 He was aged 60 at the time. Born in the Round House near Wentworth he was a Plumber & Glazier employed by Earl Fitzwilliam. He lived until 1938
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One of two flights of Country House garden steps designed and constructed to be traditional in appearance and feel. Riven edged stone treads and risers, stone strings with handmade brick copings, ashlar stone newels, and one skilled Mason
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Work to reseal a previously forgotten Crypt in one of York's Historic Churches. The underground vaulted chamber was unexpectedly rediscovered when part of the roof collapsed. Inside, the chamber was stacked out with decaying coffins which interestingly all appear to be lead lined
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Work is completed to restore & secure one of the large 18th c Grade II stone garden urns
@Wentworth_House
a new stone collar has been carved & fixed between the stem & the bowl. A new central tie dowel has been fitted & secured in the traditional way with molten, or run lead
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Anyone seen this type of roof construction before, iron tie bars, 1840's part of a range of outbuildings attached to a Country House Estate
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This one is pretty bad ! These hand made bricks date to 1676. It would I think be a tragedy to loose the face of these 344 year old bricks. People are well meaning but misguided in their approach & ideally they should leave well alone.....
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Carpenters marks. We think these marks dating from 1725 may represent the number 32, haven't seen it done this way before, any clues ?
Its from a large roof with hundreds of similar joints, nice handmade iron nails too....
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All done just in time, ready for Father Christmas tonight... !
Before we started all the inside of the chimney was burnt away after 180 years of use, leaving the entire stack unstable, should be good for very many more visits from Santa now !
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Traditional roof replacements undertaken, all hand made. Here you can see the components which go into a roof ; wallplates, king post truss, purlins, ridge beam, & rafters. This tried & tested method has remained unchanged for hundreds of years.
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Completed new roof at All Saints Church, Helmsley This roof is over the North Transept. Interestingly as the previous roofs were opened up we could see the walls of the Medieval Church, they appear to still exist seemingly encased within the present mid 19th c. facade
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Smart new zinc roof just fixed to the South Transept at St Stephens Church York together with new roof insulation and replacement limestone coping stones. Re-slating works have also been undertaken to the Nave roof. The previous roof coverings had been leaking for many years.
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Interesting Witches Mark carved into the door jamb at the12 thc. All Saints Church North Cave, also spotted a nice masons mark cut into the underside of a medieval paving stone, possibly centuries since anyone last set eyes upon this mark....
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The East Front
@Wentworth_House
Statue adorning the roof looks over the Deer Park at the dawning of on a new day. In her long life she has seen the Sun rise 101,800 times, silently observing everyday goings on as centuries pass unceasingly by.
Taken during Urgent Works programme
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