An extension to the Grade II-listed Priory Hotel in Dorset required a careful blend of new-build materials and methodology with a heritage setting for contractor Greendale. James Kenny reports.
Combining old and new in construction requires a delicate touch, and that’s something Greendale Construction was faced with in its build and refurbishment project at the Grade II listed Priory Hotel in Wareham, Dorset.
The project, which started in October 2016, saw Poole-based Greendale tasked with constructing a new 60-cover restaurant as well as a new kitchen, preparation and servery.
There has been a priory building on the site since 1200. To make sure the new build didn’t disrupt the historic setting, Greendale and its design team worked with the listed building and planning departments as well as employing an onsite archaeologist when the excavations for the foundations were being undertaken.
Although nothing extraordinary was found, Rob Hooker, managing director at Greendale, says this is an example of the care it takes in all its projects, particularly in the heritage sector.
“We engaged with numerous conservation professionals, and at Greendale we have our own specialist trades people who are highly trained and have experience with heritage work – carpenters, roofers, stonemasons,” he says.
The new restaurant building is a modern single-storey open-plan structure, founded on piles, and sits on an elevated slab that is part beam and block, part reinforced concrete plinth. It is clad in Purbeck stone with pedestrian areas also in Purbeck slabs.
Purbeck stone stylobates also provide a base for the green oak frame, which was prefabricated by the Green Oak Carpentry Company and then brought to site, explains Hooker.
“Once on site it took only three days to completely erect the main oak frame; we used a 50 tonne crane for the reach,” he says. “The connections were morticed and tenoned with draw bored and oak dowels to secure all joints. It was a very quick frame erection process once delivered to site.”
The oak-framed roof is vaulted over the main restaurant area and has a clay tile covering. Over the kitchen and services area at the rear, the roof is set at a relatively shallow 35˚ pitch, and a covering of sheet metal zinc with standing seams was used. “The shallow pitch was a planning requirement to lessen the impact of the new build and not obscure views of the priory church and existing hotel,” says Hooker.
He explains: “The use of zinc is unusual. In such an area, typically slate or tiles would usually be used, but because the roof had to be at so shallow an angle, this wasn’t feasible and an alternative had to be found.”
Elsewhere on the site, there were other obstacles for Greendale to overcome. Being on the banks of the River Frome, the threat of flooding was a real issue, as was the limited access to the hotel and grounds. The hotel needed to stay open, so the construction works had to be planned in an operational environment.
The listed stone boundary walls were strengthened and a new entrance was created and repointed in lime mortars.
Hooker says: “Although it is a new build in a heritage setting, the use of many natural materials in the construction makes the new blend with the old.”
The project was completed in May 2017 after a 30-week build programme.
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