Historic Building workshops

Care and repair of historic timber framed structures and stonework

Date: 21 July 2017

When: 1000 – 1630

Where: Duke of Wellington, 36 Bugle St, Southampton SO14 2AH

Cost:  £120.00 plus VAT (£144.00) to include seminar proceedings, all refreshments, lunch and comprehensive delegate pack

The day’s course will consider in depth three aspects of building conservation.

• The care and repair of historic timber frames
• The care and repair of historic stonework
• Problems of decay and methods of repair

Our venue, the Duke of Wellington now a public house was constructed in the late medieval period as a timber framed shop and house over a stone undercroft. The building was partly damaged during the war but was restored shortly after. The meeting room we are using is the upper part of the medieval open hall and displays its very fine timber frame. At 2pm we will visit The Medieval Merchant’s House which is the earliest and most complete in the country. It dates from 1290 and has been restored, including reproduction furnishings to be presented as it would have looked in the late 13^th/early 14^th century. It has both stone and timber frame in its construction and the roof restored to its original form with Delabole slate and glazed tile ridge, finials and louvers. The building displays repair techniques for both the timber frame and stonework. This is a rare opportunity to visit including the undercroft which is not generally available to the public.  In the surrounding area is a number of surviving medieval timber and stone buildings illustrating Southampton’s importance as a trading port.

The day will include formal Power Point presentations, material handling sessions and first hand observations of the buildings in the area.

Main Themes

The History and Development of Historic Timber Structures

• The historic development of timber frames and roof structures
• Causes of decay and failure including mechanical failure, rot and insect attack.
• Approach to structural repairs, selection and use of materials and techniques.
• Case Studies

The History and Architectural Development of Stone Structures

• Stone Buildings are some of our oldest surviving structures in the country and there are many from the medieval and later periods in need of sensitive care and repair. The use of stone was not just confined to the grand buildings and churches but was also used for a variety of ordinary domestic and vernacular buildings. The methods of quarrying, selection and use of stone in the past contributes much to the character and grain of our historic Cities, Towns and Villages.
• A basic understanding of historic stone structures will be developed. The identification of causes of failure and the selection of appropriate repair and conservation systems including the selection of replacement stone and methods of fixing will be considered.

Care and Repair of Historic Structures

The first important stage of this process is to identify the sources which have caused the problems of decay to occur; these must be resolved before the building can be repaired.  It is also important to understand the nature and function of historic mortars and the dangers of the use of modern cementitious products.  The use of inappropriate materials can result in the rapid deterioration of historic fabric and long term structural problems. The problems of water movement, salts and frost will be discussed. Part of the day will be spent on the first hand observation of the historic buildings on site and in the area, looking in particular at previous repair methods used and recognising areas of potential future decay.

Speaker

Kevin Stubbs BA(Hons)  DipBldgCons(AA)  IHBC   CertEd

Kevin Stubbs is a Historic Buildings Consultant and comes with a background of education, archaeology and building conservation. He was Director of Archaeology for the Test Valley in Hampshire and later moved to Hampshire County Council to join the Historic Buildings Bureau, where he became the Principal Buildings Conservation Officer for the County. For eleven years he acted as the Director of a Conservation Centre and now runs his own Historic Building Consultancy and Training Company.

He advises on the repair and maintenance of all historic structures and provides training at all levels for the building conservation industry.  This includes the development of historic building technology, traditional materials and hands-on craft training.  Work for Local Government Authorities includes Conservation Area appraisals, historic building condition surveys and feasibility studies.  He has provided training exercises with local communities to raise awareness of their village plans and local heritage interpretation documents and he has provided Traditional Skills Awareness Courses for a number of bodies.

He undertakes the Historic Analysis of buildings and produces: Statements of Significance; Method Statements; Impact Assessments and Specifications for the repair and conservation of traditional buildings.

He lectures for various CPD providers, Universities and national building conservation organizations including SPAB, RICS and the Weald and Downland Museum.  Topics include: Bricks and Mortar; Lime, Plasters and Renders; Cob and Earth, Timber Frame and Stone Structures and Traditional Roofing.