Tradition was the name of the game for Paddock Johnson Partnership architects, when the company was charged with restoring and converting a Grade II listed building in the historic village of Port Sunlight, Merseyside.
It was because of this that the company opted to specify Rosemary Clay Classic roof tiles, Arris Hip Tiles and clay Valley Tiles from Redland when it came to replacing the roof.
Hesketh Hall, a former Royal British Legion club, the biggest in the country, had fallen into serious disrepair when Port Sunlight Village Trust decided to have it converted into luxury one and two bedroom apartments and give the building a new lease of life.
Speaking about the project Colin Banner, of Paddock Johnson Partnership, said: “We had to completely strip the existing roof, fortunately the structure was in good condition. The roof itself is very interesting; there are many valleys and hips. We put down new insulation, felt and re-battened the entire structure bringing it up to current Building Regulation requirements.
“Given the grade two status of the building it was imperative that the restoration was in-keeping with the rest of the village and true to the original building. Colin continued: “When the building was originally built over 100 years ago it was Rosemary tiles that were used so we needed to use clay tiles in the restoration. We have used Rosemary Mixed Brindle tiles on other buildings throughout the village and to ensure Hesketh Hall retained its historic charm and grade two status it was appropriate to use the same tiles.”
The Rosemary tile is synonymous with traditional architecture in the UK and has been used on pitched roofs for over 175 years. The tiles combine the quality of hand crafted clay with the benefits of modern day machinery.
Speaking about the completed project Colin said: “The building looks really good, the village trust is very happy with its appearance and how it fits in with the rest of the Village Architecture. A lot of that is down to the appearance of the roof. The use of Rosemary tiles with clay Valley Tiles in the same colour and Arris Hip Tiles definitely adds to the character of the building.”
