Historic Building workshops

Care and repair of historic masonry & timber framed structures

Date: 31 March 2017

When: 1000 – 1630

Where: Gainsborough Old Hall, Gainsborough

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.

[custom_list style=”list-1″]

• The care and repair of historic brickwork
• Understanding historic mortars and the use of lime in conservation
• History, development and repair of timber framed structures

[/custom_list]

The venue has been carefully chosen as it represents a fine example of 15^th and 16^th century brick and timber framed construction. This building is recognised as “one of the country’s best preserved manor houses” Re-building commenced after destruction of an earlier building by fire in 1484. The manor house comprises a great brick tower and kitchen range, a great hall with solar and a suite of state rooms. It is built to an H plan with the timber framed great hall at its centre. The kitchen range is one of the most complete of its period to survive rivalled only by that at Hampton Court Palace. The building was given to the nation in 1970 and is in the care of English Heritage with the day to day running undertaken by the District Council. The day will include formal Power Point presentations, material handling sessions and first hand observations of the building and the details of its construction.

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.

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

Main themes

The History of Brickmaking and Building in Brick

Bricks have been a principal building material in many parts of the country since the 16^th century.  The history and development of brick buildings and brickmaking will be examined up to the middle of the 20^th century when bricks ceased to be a mainly local vernacular material and became a mass produced product by a few large international companies.

Interpreting Historic Brickwork

A selection of different types of bricks from different sources and periods will be handled and discussed, paying particular attention to how they were made and fired and how this affected their durability and character. Looking closely at historic brickwork can give clues as to how the bricks were manufactured and laid and what alterations the building has gone through since its original construction.  This process can be likened to reading a detective story: the clues are there, they just need interpreting by the observer, thus enabling a correct and aesthetically pleasing repair/restoration to be achieved.

Care And Repair of Historic Masonry structures and Selection of Mortars

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 brickwork 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 mortars can result in the rapid deterioration of historic masonry and long term structural problems. The problems of water movement, salts, frost and the cleaning of brickwork a will be examined.  The methods of re-pointing will also be considered, not only for aesthetic reasons, but to ensure the correct performance and durability of the new joint.

The History and Development of Timber framed 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.