The conservation and repair of Winsford Cottage Hospital

This workshop introduces homeowners and professionals to the conservation and restoration work completed at Winsford Cottage Hospital, which won the RICS n Social Impact, Heritage Award in 2019.

The judges said:“Winsford Cottage Hospital is an exemplary restoration project rooted in community. After closing in the 1990s, a local trust tried to secure its future. When that project stalled it was acquired by the Landmark Trust. The trust has carried out a beautiful restoration, with its Arts and Crafts details restored or recreated where they were lost. “One half is a holiday apartment providing the bulk of revenue, and the other half a series of community meeting spaces, workplaces and a museum area. This textbook restoration has allowed the grade II-listed building to continue to serve the community it was built for.”

Winsford Cottage Hospital was built on the cusp of the move towards more modern approaches to building construction and therefore presented some unique conservation challenges, which required knowledge of both traditional and modern building techniques and materials, as well as very specialist approaches towards the conservation of mosaics, timber floors and metal work. During this one-day workshop we will explore the building in detail and discuss the conservation challenges we faced and the approach we took towards repair and conservation.

We will then discuss more broadly the guiding principles behind sympathetic maintenance and repair of traditional buildings. We will then see a practical demonstration of materials such as lime mortars and plasters and have a closer look at some of the specialist materials that were used. Then we will consider how best to tackle the finishing touches and decoration, discussing different types of paint.

Participants are invited to bring along photographs of their own buildings or projects which they might like to discuss.

The day will be led by Alistair Polhill from Bramhill Builders (https://www.bramhillspecialist.co.uk/) who completed the conservation and repair of the internal plastering and external rendering, and Ryan Stoic from Mike Wye (https://www.mikewye.co.uk/) specialist in traditional and ecological materials. With many years of knowledge and practical experience Alister and Ryan are the perfect guides to demystifying many of the concerns that owners of old houses have about the condition of their properties.

In the morning participants will also have the opportunity to meet our project manager and specialist conservator and ask questions about their role in the project.