Issue 46 April 25 web - Flipbook - Page 67
Levens Hall
and LeightonHall
Levens Hall and Leighton Hall are fine stately homes only six miles apart in one of the most beautiful
corners of England, either side of the Cumbria/Lancashire boundary between the Lake District hills
and the shores of Morecambe Bay.
When both faced significant challenges to the integrity
of their buildings, they turned to Crosby Granger
Architects – one of the leading architectural practices in
the North West for heritage and conservation projects.
Crosby Granger Architects’ remit was to reverse these
actions, removing impervious cementitious mortars and
reinstating a traditional non-hydraulic lime, and to
re-cover the walls in a traditional rough-cast (harl),
finished with a limewash, to protect the masonry and
allow any moisture in the walls to dry out.
The firm is known for its innovative approach, strong
commitment to sustainability and willingness to utilise
modern techniques alongside traditional methods and
materials in a seamless blend.
The prominent north tower was a priority.
Here, the mortar was cracking, causing fissures through
the stonework. The open-jointed parapets were allowing
water ingress and the roof was leaking. Plaster was
detaching from internal walls, there was damage to the
stone mullioned windows and fungal and beetle attack in
timber panelling.
Levens is the older of the two properties.
Grade-I listed, its pele tower dates from the late 13th or
early 14th centuries, although much of the building is
Elizabethan. It is home to the world’s oldest topiary
garden and a medieval deer park.
The first phase of works saw the cement mortar removed,
the masonry repaired and re-pointed in traditional lime
mortar and then coated in a new rough-cast lime render
and lime wash. At the same time, the parapets and roof
were repaired to prevent water ingress from above.
A major tourist attraction, the estate caters for 30,000
visitors each year.
Unfortunately, ill-informed decisions of the early 20th
century saw traditional rough-cast render removed in
favour of exposed stone, which was heavily pointed and
possibly re-pointed in the mid-to-late century.
Repairs to the internal rooms will be carried out as a
second phase.
This led to major damp issues, irrecoverably damaged
internal finishes, rot, mildew and beetle attack, putting
the fabric of the structure at risk.
Crosby Granger Architects was also tasked with
redeveloping a disused workshop as a bakery to alleviate
pressure in the existing commercial kitchen, the popular
Levens Kitchen.
Conservation & Heritage Journal
65
