Progress Notes -  Burton Manor - 20th February 2020

Work on the Manor is nearing completion. Work has gone according to plan, one or two surprises along the way but always to be expected on a project of this size and complexity. Once the final decorations are complete and furnishings added staff will occupy the remainder of the building. As well as generous work spaces offices, the Manor provides breakaway areas for staff, recreation and dining facilities along with gymnasiums. All creating a wonderful work environment.

Works to the Atelier units are well under way, as can be seen from the attached photographs. Planning approval has come through this week for the improvements to The Granary, work will commence shortly. The new entrance has now been formed and the gate fitted, the wall around the gate will have another ‘lift’ of sandstone and will be topped by sandstone coping stones.





Preparatory works for the residential development has been extensive, creating the required levels, preparing the roadway and making provision for services. These works are now largely complete and the construction is now starting on the new dwellings.




Progress Notes - Burton Manor - 30th August 2019

 The Manor

The main section of the Manor is now complete, with the scaffold removed the wonderful building can now be fully appreciated.



Internally the Manor is now a functioning office providing a wonderful working environment, as can be seen from the attached photographs showing, the library and the ballroom. The ballroom has also been made available to Gavin Hunter of The Friends of Burton Manor Gardens to host his lectures on local history.

The treatment of the dry rot to the easterly wing also nears completion which has enabled the extensive rebuilding work to commence. The staircase devastated by dry rot, is being rebuilt utilising patterns taken from the original staircase. To ensure the sweeping plaster lines on the underside of the staircase the contractors have used traditional timber laths. Work will continue apace over the next few moths.

Gardens & Grounds

Planning Approval has now been granted for the rebuilding of the front wall incorporating a pedestrian gate, this will enable safer access for local residents. Local stone masons continue the mammoth task of repointing the sandstone walls in lime mortar, replacing damaged stone as they go. The stonework for the new entrance is currently being cut, we expect the building of the entrance to take place in the next 6 to 8 weeks.

The refurbishment of the large pond to the rear of the Manor, the centre piece of the Mawson gardens has also now been completed, replanted and stocked.

We continue to work with the Friends of Burton Manor Gardens to improve the grounds. Most of the paths have now been relayed and a new store within the Walled Garden is under construction with waney edge larch cladding and a slate roof.

The Café continues to trade briskly and appears to be well used and enjoyed by many local residents.

Construction of the new houses is expected to start shortly following the provision of services. We will provide a more detailed update on the new build in our next progress report.





Progress Notes - Burton Manor - 11th May 2019

The Manor

Tremendous progress has been made, particularly on the external works. The repair of the roof is around 75% complete, noticeable by the rich green colours now visible in the Westmorland slates on the front elevation facing The Village. The scaffold is starting to come down, exposing the refurbished windows, fascia’s and plumbing.

Work to the westerly wing continues with the principle rooms to the ground floor now decorated, carpeted and largely furnished. We hope to have some staff working from these areas of the building within a few weeks. The Library is currently having the wood block floor relayed, following which it will be sanded and polished.

 As previously reported the dry rot is mainly in the easterly wing. Having been exposed, staircases, skirtings and architectural timbers were templated prior to their removal. We are now just over 2 months in to a 5 month period of heating and drying this part of the building to reduce the humidity levels and kill off the dry rot. Regular moisture and temperature readings indicate the programme is on schedule, we therefore expect the reconstruction of this wing to commence in July. In the meantime the 19 dehumidifiers and 30 plus heaters continue to run 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 The Senior Planning Officer of the local authority and the Conservation Officer have visited the site and are pleased to see the progress made. They expect to be able to issue a decision very shortly on the application to insert a gate in to the rebuilt front wall.

Gardens & Grounds

As previously reported the work to the grounds has been more extensive in reality than any of us expected. With tree removal now complete, the views that have opened up from the Manor are quite wonderful, overlooking the surrounding countryside and beyond as originally planned by Mawson when setting the gardens out. The paths around the gardens are being relayed and the iron estate style fencing to the southerly boundary, which is of a style particular to the Manor, is to be repaired and replaced as appropriate.

 A proposed replanting scheme has been prepared by landscape architects in consultation with the Friends, this has now been submitted to the local authority for their approval. This will include some careful planting to try and screen the power station.

Café

As many residents will be aware the café has now been open for a couple of weeks. Trading as “Burton’s”, business has been brisk and the feedback from customers very positive. Claire Russell and her team look forward to welcoming local residents and visitors.

Progress Notes -  Burton Manor - 28th March 2019.

 The Manor

As can be seen from the village, the Manor is now shrouded in scaffold. The windows are being overhauled, cast iron plumbing replaced and the eaves restored. The stonework is being repointed where required and the roof overhauled and repaired using Westmorland slates sourced to match the originals. In accordance with ecological requirements “bat slates” are being fitted to agreed locations.


 

Work to the westerly wing is well under way with the principle rooms now nearing completion. This wing of the building was largely unaffected by the dry rot, but nonetheless the work has been extensive. Services have been updated, period plasterwork has been replicated and the rooms are being finished in shades selected from a colour chart of the period.

 All of the dry rot has now been exposed to the centre and easterly wing of the building. The extent to which it penetrated the building is incredible with multiple outbreaks and extending up to 23 meters from source. Patterns for the timbers and staircases have been made before stripping back. This section of the building is now being dried with 19 dehumidifiers and over 30 heaters running 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

 Café

Renovation of the café is well under way. We hope to have work complete during April. Claire Russell looks forward to welcoming local residents and visitors back to a much improved café and village shop.

Update: Opening Monday 16th April and will be called "Burtons at the Manor".

 Gardens & Grounds

The work in the grounds removing the trees approved by the local authority has been more extensive in reality than any of us expected. It has however opened up wonderful views from the Manor, as originally planned by Mawson when setting the gardens out. In removing the trees we found a significant number to be decaying.

 



We are now liaising with the Friends in respect of the replanting. We will be visiting specialist nurseries and growers over the forthcoming weeks to identify appropriate specimen trees and shrubs.