Elswick Lodge

Listed building Fire Reinstatement

Elswick Lodge is a substantial Grade II Listed building, constructed in 1844 for Robert Hawthorn. The building is currently used as a sheltered housing facility for vulnerable women and young people.

The building was extensively damaged by a fire in early 2011, which left much of the accommodation unusable. Internally, ground and first floor areas of the building were gutted, whilst the external stone facades and bay windows were substantially fire-damaged, leaving part of the ground floor area structurally unstable.

Harrow were appointed by Home Group to carry out full Architectural Design and Project Management duties, with the aim of re-instating the building to its former glory, whilst ensuring that the facility was put back into full operation at the earliest opportunity. Harrow also acted as CDM Co-ordinator to ensure that all Construction Health & Safety requirements were met.

Harrow were selected to carry out the refurbishment works due to our extensive experience in dealing with Listed buildings, and our ability to work in such a sensitive environment, as all construction works were carried out in an occupied building.

The nature of the Listed Building entailed Harrow Consulting working closely with Conservation Officers from Newcastle City Council Planning Department. All listed fire-damaged items were carefully identified from past records, and from mouldings taken from remnants left by the fire. All were sympathetically restored to match their original appearance. Items included:

  • Stone window mullions, cills and lintels
  • Sliding sash windows
  • Ornate cornices and ceiling roses
  • Ornate joinery items, including doors, skirting’s and architraves

The refurbishment project was completed in a 12 week contract period, during which there was continuous liaison with Listed Building Control, staff, residents and loss adjuster.

Harrow’s extensive knowledge and experience in this type of refurbishment work facilitated in fast-tracking the project and allowing full occupation ahead of programme, and within budget.

“The intricate nature of this project, the necessity of specifying a range of bespoke building materials and the requirement to meet the needs of both our service users and a range of other parties meant we were looking for a project management firm with a very wide range of skills. Harrow’s experience and expertise, allied to their strong record in managing consultative design processes, made them a strong fit for our requirements, and they’ve completely fulfilled our expectations with the job that they’ve done.”

Brian Sharp, Service Manager, Praxis Services