We’re excited to see this historic building brought back to its best, ensuring it can be enjoyed by future generations, look out for project updates!

Learn more about The Cage’s history: https://lnkd.in/eVwfR-Nz

We would recommend the following points are considered as part of a maintenance plan:

1. Roof

Roofs should be checked to make sure all elements are in good condition and working correctly.  If there are slates or tiles missing or damaged, they should be replaced to prevent water entering the building.  Ridge tiles should be checked ensure they are not loose and flashings should be assessed for watertightness.

2. Rainwater Goods

Blocked or damaged rainwater goods are a common cause of water damage in historic buildings and should be checked frequently for any blockages.  They should be cleared of leaves and debris to ensure water can flow freely.

3. Plant Growth

Plant growth can seriously harm the fabric of historic buildings, causing structural issues with masonry, damp walls and blocked rainwater goods.  Plant growth should be monitored and controlled or removed carefully to avoid any damage.

4. Chimneys

Damage within the structure of a chimney can potentially become a dangerous issue if it were to fall.  Chimney stacks and pots should be checked to see if they are out of position or leaning.  Any cracks or loose masonry should be repaired and any vegetation growth should be carefully removed.

5. Exterior Walls

Exterior walls or the façade of the building are often the most eye-catching parts of a heritage property and defects in the external walls can affect the aesthetic significance as well as the structure.  Any missing pointing in joints should be replaced, cracks should be investigated to ascertain the cause and other defects in masonry should be repaired.  Damp staining, algae or vegetation growth might indicate an issue with rainwater goods or flashing so this should also be investigated.

6. Windows and Doors

Original sash windows and timber doors require regular maintenance to prevent rot and decay which if left untreated can be difficult to remedy.  Any paint or other coatings on timber should be checked for peeling or flaking and bare timber should be identified and redecorated using appropriate coatings.

Heritage buildings are key to our shared sustainable future and through carrying out maintenance, addressing small concerns and employing a heritage specialist to carry out small repairs, we can ensure that our heritage is preserved and utilised for generations to come while saving time and money.

If you have any maintenance or small works requirements please get in touch via our Contact Page.

The first step in any timber floor restoration project is to survey and assess its current condition.  This involves historic research to understand the original techniques and materials and an examination of the floor, identifying any areas of damage.

The condition of the floor is then documented through photos, reports, and sketches where appropriate.  This serves as a valuable reference throughout the restoration process and ensures that all historical details are understood and preserved.

There are some cases where the floor will need to be removed temporarily to address any structural issues.  Each section of floor will be careful labelled and stored so that it is replaced back to its original position and orientation.  Additionally, flooring may need to be re-laid if wooden boards have shrunk, often as a result of central heating which removes moisture from the air.  Damaged sections of timber will be repaired using traditional methods which are sympathetic and appropriate for the type of material.  It is a priority of ours to conserve as much of the original timber as possible and only replace that which is beyond repair.

The final stage involves applying a suitable finish, such as oil or wax to provide protection to the restored floor and ensure the correct aesthetic is achieved.

As with all heritage projects, timber floor restoration is not without its challenges.  Finding suitable materials and skilled craftspeople can be difficult and we may find further issues once the floor has been taken up, which could not be seen previously.  However, with Quadriga’s vast experience, dedicated team of in-house specialists and commitment to tackling the skills shortage, we can restore these beautiful floors to their former glory, using time honoured techniques and appropriate repair methods.

If you have a historic floor you’d like some advice on please get in touch via our Contact Page.

Borley Rectory

Once dubbed the most haunted house in England, Borley Rectory in Essex had a reputation for strange occurrences, including apparitions, strange lights and phantom footsteps.  The rectory was constructed in 1863 on the site of an old monastery with paranormal activity reported from the late 1800s.  The rectory was damaged by fire in 1939 and demolished in 1945 but the spooky stories remain.  One such story is that of a nun from a nearby convent who fell in love with a monk from the monastery.  The couple attempted to elope but were found and sentenced to death.  Reportedly, the monk was sent to the gallows in the monastery while the nun was sealed in the walls of the convent. The heartbroken nun is one of the earliest and most famous sightings.

Ancient Ram Inn

The Ancient Ram Inn is a Grade II* listed former pub in Wolton-under-Edge, Gloucestershire and dates back to the medieval period.  The Ancient Ram Inn has arguably taken Borley Rectory’s crown as the most haunted house in the country, maybe not surprisingly when you learn that it was built on a Pagan burial ground.  In 1968 the building was bought by John Humphries to save it from destruction, and he made it his home for almost 50 years until his death in 2017.  According to his accounts, John was grabbed by demonic forces who dragged him across his bedroom and he found evidence of ritual sacrifice and skeletal remains.  A host of spirits are believed to also call the Ancient Ram Inn home, including the ghost of a witch burned at the stake in the area after trying to take refuge at the inn.  Ghost hunts take place at the Ancient Ram for those brave enough!

Hampton Court Palace

Built in 1514, Hampton Court Place is a Grade I listed royal palace in Surrey, occupied by Henry VIII and his six wives from 1529 onwards.  The palace was expanded in the early 16^th century and now includes over 1,390 rooms.  Various royals occupied the palace over the years with George II the last to use it as a royal residence.  Unsurprisingly, this royal palace has been the location for various high profile ghost sightings including Jane Seymour, the third wife of Henry VIII who died shortly after childbirth.  His fifth wife Catherine Howard is also reported to haunt the palace.  Arrested at Hampton Court Palace in 1541 on accusations of adultery and treason, she was later executed at the Tower of London.  Visitors report hearing her screams in the hall, which has come to be aptly termed the ‘Haunted Gallery’.  You can visit Hampton Court Palace and they host events and tours throughout the year.

Berry Pomeroy

A ruin tucked away in a wooded valley, Berry Pomeroy Castle offers the perfect backdrop for stories of apparitions and sinister happenings.  Located in South Devon, it comprises a Tudor mansion within the walls of an earlier castle, originally occupied by the Pomeroys and later the Seymours.  It lay abandoned from the 17^th century with the romantic ruins becoming a tourist destination during the Victorian period.  Various spectres have been reported at the castle including the Blue Lady and the White Lady.  The White Lady is believed to be Margaret Pomeroy who was held captive in the dungeons by her jealous sister and starved to death.  The Blue Lady reportedly lures people into different parts of the castle in an attempt to get them lost.  As well as the two ladies, eerie lights have been seen, disembodied voices heard, and cold spots felt.  The castle is now owned by English Heritage and is open to visitors.

Aston Hall

The Grade I listed Jacobean Aston Hall in Birmingham was constructed between 1618 and 1635 by Thomas Holte, a notoriously fearsome man.  The hall sustained severe damage from an attack by Parliamentary troops in 1643 and a hole in one of the staircases from canon fire is still visible.  Tales of murder, mystery and tragedy pervade the hall and have been passed down over the last 400 years.  One spirit spotted in the hall is Dick the houseboy who hanged himself after being accused of stealing.  A former housekeeper and one of Thomas’s daughters, Mary Holte have also been spotted.  Mary was said to have been locked up in a cell at the hall for 16 years after attempting to run away with a servant.  Aston Hall is now managed by the Birmingham Museums Trust and you can visit the site, if you dare.

Whitby Abbey

Whitby Abbey is a quintessentially gothic site, inspiring Bram Stoker to write Dracula after his visit in 1890.  It was a 7^th century Christian monastery that later became a Benedictine abbey and looms over the North Sea on a cliff above Whitby.  As well as tales of vampires, the abbey has a ghostly past.  It is said that the ghost of St Hild or St Hilda who founded Whitby Abbey roams the site, where she looks down from the high windows.  Another ghost is said to be Constance de Beverley, a nun who broke her vow of chastity and was bricked up alive in the abbey walls.  People have heard her unanswered cries, pleading for her release.  Now managed by the National Trust, visitors can try to catch a glimpse of chilling spectres and even a vampire or two at the annual Whitby Abbey vampire gathering.

Blickling Hall

This imposing Jacobean stately home was built in 1616 and its library contains one of the most historically important collections of books and manuscripts in England, with over 13,000 volumes.  Home to another ghost of one of Henry VIII’s wives, Anne Boleyn was born here in around 1501 and it is her ghost that reportedly haunts the hall.  Each year on the anniversary of her death, she is said to be arrive at the hall by coach, driven by a headless horseman and pulled by four headless horses. She is dressed in white and carries her severed head into the hall before roaming the rooms and corridors until sunrise.  You can visit the Blickling Estate as it is now managed by the National Trust.  If you want to try and catch a sight of Anne Boleyn’s ghost, visit on her would-be execution date, May 19^th.

Chillingham Castle

Proclaimed to be the most haunted historic castle in England, Chillingham boasts some of the highest levels of paranormal activity in the country.  Dating back to the 13^th century, the Grade I listed Northumbrian stronghold has seen its fair share of violence and death, having been repeatedly besieged.  The castle remains almost in its original form, with some elements added during the Tudor period.  Several ghosts are said to wander the castle, the most famous being the ‘Radiant Boy, a child whose cries echo through the corridors at midnight.  The cries seem to come from a spot near a passageway between towers and when the sounds fade away, a bright halo of light appears, and the figure of a young boy appears to those sleeping in this room.  The bones of a child, surrounded by decayed scraps of blue cloth were later found behind the wall where the cries emanated from.  So notorious are the hauntings at Chillingham, that it was visited by the television programme Most Haunted.  The castle is privately owned, still by descendants of the original occupiers and you can visit or even stay over although it’s probably not for the faint of heart!

Treasurer’s House

The Treasurer’s House is tucked away behind York Minster and is a pretty townhouse sitting atop a Roman road.  It was bought in 1897 by Frank Green, the grandson of wealthy industrialist and 3 years later he had transformed it into an elaborately decorated house, ready to host Edward VII.  When Frank Green gave the house to the National trust in 1930, he maintained that if the rooms weren’t kept exactly as he intended and any changes were made, he would return to haunt the building.  Nowadays if objects are moved or temporarily removed for conservation, eerie occurrences begin.  If this wasn’t enough, there are frequent sightings of a cat in what is now the coffee shop, clocks stopping, members of the National Trust team being pushed or feeling cold spots and on several occasions the ghosts of Roman legionnaires have been seen marching in the cellar along the route of what was the Via Decumana.  The house is open to visitors with guided tours available.

Dunster Castle

Dunster Castle in Somerset is home to various apparitions, perhaps unsurprisingly given its 1,000 year history.  A ghostly man wearing green has been spotted walking through the castle’s 17^th century stable block before disappearing right in front of shocked visitors and locals.  His energy is so menacing that visitors have repeatedly asked whether any murders have happened in the room.  A cleaner working at the castle came face-to-face with a man in military uniform with the area she spotted him in later found to have been a dormitory for civil war troops.  Perhaps most disturbingly, a National Trust volunteer reported that a disembodied human foot appeared out of nowhere. There are also reports of male voices and footsteps when no one is there.  The National Trust have been running ghost tours, giving visitors the chance to meet one of these eerie spectres.

This is just a small selection of the haunted buildings in England and each historic site has its own stories to tell.  What will you discover this Halloween?

The first sees £2m given by the government to conserve farm buildings in national park, offering up to 80% of the cost of repair. Applications are open until 31st January 2019 and it is being piloted in Dartmoor, the Lake District, the Peak District, Northumberland and the Yorkshire Dales. See this link for more details https://bit.ly/2Im2zup

The second involves Historic England offering £1.8m to fund expert advisors in pilot areas Manchester and Suffolk to support listed places of worship becoming more sustainable. See this link for more details https://bit.ly/2H0hOc0

So why is it so important to love and conserve our buildings?

We’ve put together our top 7 reasons why you should love our heritage buildings and how they can be preserved for the future.

1. 99% of people live within a mile of a listed building – these buildings give the local area its character and own distinct architectural style thanks to local architects!

2. Sustainability – Protecting and enhancing our historic built environment meets our present needs whilst sustainably developing for the future.

3. Historic buildings attract people and businesses to the area – giving the local economy a boost! Research has found that over 50% of overseas tourists pay a visit to one of our well-loved castles or historic buildings.

4. Opportunities for growth – there is a wealth of untapped potential in our northern cities, for example old mills located in north of England provide the vacant space for exciting re-uses such as housing, offices, restaurants and events spaces.

5. Rich culture – They form part of our rich culture and often become hubs for cultural activities such as theatres, musical events, community events.

6. History – Our buildings provide an insight into our countries history, cultural foundations and traditional building techniques. Some date back as far as the middle ages!

7. They are home to some of the most important foundations of our country such as parliament, local government, ecclesiastical, libraries and…the Queen!

Through repairs, alterations, additions and preservation techniques, we can protect, maintain and stabilise the existing materials, form and integrity of a historic place or individual component. An initial site inspection will define the refurbishment or maintenance plan and from this the historic structure can be given a new lease of life.

Quadriga does much more than preserve bricks and mortar, our built history connects us with our past and provides context for the places we occupy and the world we live in.

Our core business values and specialist employees enable us to lovingly restore historic buildings throughout the country.