An exciting new project involving major renovation work of Lindisfarne Castle has just started. Nick Lewis, the House Steward, gives us a glimpse into the early stages of the project and an update on how the work is progressing.
"Even during the renovation of Lindisfarne Castle by Edwin Lutyens for Edward Hudson a century ago, we know there were problems with the building and keeping the weather out."
"Even during the renovation of Lindisfarne Castle by Edwin Lutyens for Edward Hudson a century ago, we know there were problems with the building and keeping the weather out."
" Of course the
Castle is at present a very long way off being in "good and substantial
repair", even the roofs are not watertight"
"The issue at Lindisfarne has
always been (and will always be) the environment. High on Beblowe Crag with
commanding views of the coastline and sea, it is easy to see why a military
building was constructed here and indeed why Hudson fell in love with the
place. But these enviable features also carry a flipside, with the exposed
situation meaning the weather is a constant problem for the building."
"Where there have been problems
here in the past, the owners (ourselves included) have tended towards
'quick-fix' solutions. What sets this current work apart is that we plan to run
a series of trials around the building; differents methods, different
materials, different places. After a period of exposure to the weather, we
should know what works best and where. "
The reasoning
"The idea behind the work is to try out a number of methods designed to combat the problem we have at the Castle with water ingress. We have leaking windows, issues with guttering and downpipes, and moisture getting in through the walls (and not going out again)."
"The idea behind the work is to try out a number of methods designed to combat the problem we have at the Castle with water ingress. We have leaking windows, issues with guttering and downpipes, and moisture getting in through the walls (and not going out again)."
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Many of the Castle's 101 windows leak during heavy
rain © Nick Lewis
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"Certain materials used in the
past during maintenance work are hindering the movement of moisture through the
structure, and so causing problems in certain areas.
We have identified a number of
key areas where particular methods can be trialled, monitored and evaluated.
This will then feed into a major project in 2017 when these methods can be
rolled out throughout the building."
Trial areas
"Four main areas are being worked
on; the Upper Gallery, West Bedroom, Lower Battery and Upper Battery."
The Upper Gallery
"Chosen because of its history of
high humidity, this room has four external walls and can be treated both
internally and externally without scaffolding. Like the West Bedroom below it
had been dry lined, given the room an extra internal layer, with a gap behind.
Part of the trial has been to find out what lies beneath. We will remove and
replace a couple of windows with newly designed fittings to better stop water
penetration. "
The West Bedroom
"This room was chosen for similar
reasons to the Upper Gallery, although given the cost of an external scaffold
to the north wall we would not be able to try out new window designs. One of
the first discoveries in this room was the presence of two sections of
Victorian railway line acting as a strcutural joist above the window. This
suggests that many more windows around the building are similarly supported."
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We found a century-old metal joist supporting the
West Bedroom window © Nick Lewis
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The Lower Battery
"Specifically area around the four
southern-most Kitchen windows, the battery lies on the exposed Eastern side of
the Castle. This is usually sheltered from the prevailing weather, but given
the number of window insertions and structural changes made by Lutyens, there
are a lot of ways for water to get in."
"The wall around the windows have
had the pointing hacked out from between the stones. This was found to consist
of hard cement pointing on the surface and this has been be removed and
replaced with a more porous lime mortar."
"Below the windows some samples of
possible mortar finishes have been applied and will be tested over the next
year or so. This is the rough, spread pointing that we see on the Country Life
images, and not the full harling which is present on the North face of the
Castle."
"Inside the Kitchen the wall above
the window has been stripped of its lath and plaster lining and observations
could then be made of the inside of the stone work. Four of the leaking windows
have been replaced with new designs, but retaining the old glass and leadwork."
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Our builders used industrial air
pumps to remove dust from the Castle during main works © Nick Lewis
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The Upper Battery
"Work has been carried out to the
South Western ‘panel’ of the Upper Gallery/West Bedroom elevation. Here quoin
stones which have badly weather have been removed and replaced, broken window
mullions have been repaired (ahead of the new windows being installed) and new
mortar finishes will be tried here too."
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| The masons packed the walls with hairy mortar before adding the new stones
© Nick Lewis
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And then?
"As touched on earlier, the plan would be to montior and measure these areas over the next few months at the same time plan a programme of works for the following year. Ideally, we would then be able to attend to the entire building. The methods used would be recorded in our Conservation Management Plan, allowing our successors to understand our reasoning and hopefully continue to protect the building long into the future."
"As touched on earlier, the plan would be to montior and measure these areas over the next few months at the same time plan a programme of works for the following year. Ideally, we would then be able to attend to the entire building. The methods used would be recorded in our Conservation Management Plan, allowing our successors to understand our reasoning and hopefully continue to protect the building long into the future."
