The 7 storey building has had a long and varied history in terms of its use, originally having been entirely residential but later occupied by professionals.  Commercial occupation continued in the 1930s when the property operated as a hotel, finally converting to restaurant on the ground floor from the 1960s, with residential accommodation above.  This use continues to the present day, albeit after a series of different ownerships.

The property has a Dutch-style gable and is Flemish brick bond with ornate rubbed brick reveals, with keystones and a decorative brick frieze.  While unlike adjacent buildings it has retained its original red brick and terracotta features, 20^th century cement based repairs have caused them to deteriorate and the building is currently in need of structural repairs and careful consolidation to restore its good looks once more!  

Following a first phase of conservation repair works prompted by the fall of masonry to the ground, this second phase will now focus on the ground and first floors of the west elevation.  This will include attention to the wrought iron handrails and railings, and re-dressing leadwork, alongside replacement of the excessively decayed decorative brickwork following essential structural repairs to the window heads.  

We initially completed a condition survey of the elevation to enable us to fully understand the situation and consider an appropriate approach to solving the problems faced by the Management Company. We then prepared detailed drawings of the existing elevations and the proposed works to submit with the planning application.

Like-for-like casting of the decorative bricks would have attracted a six figure cost and taken over a year to complete, so drawing on our experience of similar conservation repair works at Brighton’s Chapel Royal in 2012, we proposed that the units required to form the first floor window frieze will be moulded, cast and fired by hand in terracotta.   By granting consent, the local authority clearly agreed that this is an appropriate conservation-led design response.

The Chapel Royal, Brighton

The end result will restore both stability and decorative detail to the west elevation of this historic building, respecting its integrity as well as the wider Conservation Area.

Further information about the conservation repair project at The Chapel Royal can be found here.

Some of our other conservation projects can be found here.

If you have a project you would like to discuss, please contact us.

A condition survey of a building or structure will generally include a schedule of priorities and recommendations for repair, with a view to conservation rather than restoration.

Once the survey has been completed, the most suitable approaches to conservation repair of the building or structure will be considered.

Furnished with this information, a cost analysis, specification of works and drawings can be produced, to form part of a tender package and potentially an application to the local authority for Listed Building Consent.

^{Platforms at Singleton Station, overgrown with vegetation}

In late 2022, we were approached by the South Downs National Park Authority (SDNPA) to undertake such condition surveys of the former station platform and goods warehouse at Singleton Station, and to provide a repair schedule for each.

The station and associated buildings at Singleton, first opened in July 1881, provided access from the Chichester line to the south, connecting up with Midhurst to the north, in hope that passengers would flock to Goodwood Racecourse. Although racegoers favoured Chichester station over Singleton, Edward VII as Prince of Wales was a frequent visitor, travelling there by royal train either for racing at Goodwood or to stay at West Dean Park with the James family.

^{Historic image of staff at the Station in the early twentieth century (Source: Forgotten Singleton, The Southern Way Issue No 16).}

The station closed in 1953, with its final use being transport for school children to Chichester and as freight transport of timber and sugar beet from local farms. Since its closure, the station and platform site have been used as a vineyard and winery, as well as vehicle repair business and scrap yard. By the early 1970s, however, the platforms at the station were becoming derelict, with vegetation taking hold and causing the structures to deteriorate.

^{The condition of the station platforms before conservation repair works and rebuilding}

Initial preparation for the project to arrest the deterioration required coordination with a measured survey company to obtain clear scans of the building structures, to provide plans and rectified photographic elevations which would be used for marking up the findings from the condition survey.

^{Extract from the condition survey of the platforms}

Further coordination with structural engineer and quantity surveyor, both well versed in traditional building techniques, allowed for a comprehensive condition and repair schedule to be in included in the report on the structures.  

The repair schedules were based on three levels of priority: urgent repairs to prevent collapse and risk to public safety, necessaryrepairs to prevent the structures from further deterioration, and desirable works to enhance and restore the buildings to their former glory.  This would enable the client to obtain budget costings for developing a strategy to carry out the repair works and raise money for the restoration.

Following completion of the condition survey and then addressing the urgent and necessary repairs, we provided the client with assistance for the next phase of works to rebuild elements of the station, which would enable public access and interpretation of its former layout, structures and use.

^{The area cleared for the works to commence}

Having received planning and Listed Building consents towards the end of 2024, the conservation repair project started in February 2025.  The scope of works included consolidation repairs to the former north and south platforms, installation of two timber station signs, making safe the dangerous underpasses while leaving them open for maintenance, and repairs to the face of the station retaining wall.

Just over five months later, the site has been transformed with the former platforms now reinstated and station signs and furniture installed.  The path between the platforms forms part of a 2 km extension to the Centurion Way, designed to maximise accessibility for users.  Information boards illustrate the history of the railway and station, and signage has also been installed to point visitors to nearby West Dean Gardens, Singleton village and the Weald and Downland Living Museum.

^{Information board at Singleton Station}

^{Signpost on The Centurion Way}

The Centurion Way is a 13km path which follows the former Chichester to Midhurst railway line, via Lavant and West Dean.  The opening to the public of this new section of the path to Cucumber Farm in Singleton was celebrated with a ribbon cutting ceremony led by Deputy Lieutenant of West Sussex, Simon Knight and Chair of the National Park Authority, Vanessa Rowlands, and attended by project partners and stakeholders.  A group of cyclists was also invited to follow the Centurion Way from Chichester to mark the occasion.

^{Ribbon cutting ceremony at the opening of the new section of The Centurion Way}

As a conservation architects we are delighted to have been involved with this project from the outset, particularly to see the initial condition survey lead to this successful conclusion.  We are continuing to work with the client as they turn to the goods warehouse, with aspirations to repair the building to service the West Dean Estate and local community as well as benefit the users of Centurion Way.

The opening of the new section was reported by the South Downs National Park Authority and BBC News.

More of our Conservation projects can be viewed here.

If you would like to speak to us about a condition survey or conservation repair project, please contact us.

A lighting design was developed to subtly enhance the façade by highlighting architectural features such as the Corinthian columns and decorative label tops over the central doorways, as well as illuminating the basement wells. 

With the consents in place, we provided technical support while John Carpenter Electrical Ltd installed the fittings, which now wash the elevations with soft light, giving the buildings an inviting appearance during the evening, while improving accessibility and security for the properties’ users.  

To protect the historic interest of the grade II* listed building and the character of the surrounding Belgravia Conservation Area, the new works were required to match the existing original work in terms of materials, method of construction and finished appearance. With this approach to the design and detailing, the end result is the sensitive introduction of modern technology to this heritage asset.

If you would like to discuss a potential residential or conservation project, please contact us.

Towards the end of June, St Botolph’s church in Hardham played host to representatives from Historic England, the Courtauld Institute of Art and the Church of England who met with dedicated local churchwardens and Julian Vallis as their inspecting architect, in support with the Diocese of Chichester. 

The meeting of minds was to see firsthand the issues facing St Botolph’s.  The 11^th century church which lies south of Pulborough faces challenges that risk not only the beautiful exterior (which has examples of Roman brickwork) but the magnificent interior, home to the impressive 900-year old medieval frescos that are part of the Lewes Group.

In 2024 the church was added to Historic England’s Heritage at Risk Register and efforts are now underway to better understand the condition and environment, with hopes that a major conservation project might be undertaken with research opportunities closely linked. 

The future for St Botolph’s is looking bright but further help will be needed to protect its future legacy, and the parish is currently exploring how it can involve the community in protecting Hardham’s heritage.  We look forward to continuing to support them on this journey.

Our thanks to Daniel Lee , Church Buildings Support Officer at Chichester Diocese, for providing the copy for inclusion in this post.

More of our ecclesiastical projects can be viewed here.

If you would like to discuss a church project, or any other project, please contact us.

Directors Julian Vallis and Laurence Hall attended the luncheon and awards ceremony on 2 July at the American Express Stadium and were delighted to each receive recognition for theirs and the team’s work, as well as the much-coveted slate plaques presented by Lord Egremont.

Photo credit: Love Heart Photograph

Our project at St Peter’s Well, Lodsworth was a winner in the ‘Small Scale Residential: Restoration, Conversion and Extension’ category, which recognises ‘a restoration and/or conversion of one unit.  This can include a new building extension/improvements on a listed property, where restoration has taken place’.

This sensitive renovation and extension of a grade II listed 17^th century former house and malthouse transforms a neglected historic structure into a comfortable, breathable family home.  Conservation-led repairs using traditional materials were paired with thoughtful modern upgrades, including a limecrete floor, wood fibre insulation and a Bluetooth-enabled smart lighting system.  A contemporary glazed link connects the new family room to the main house, referencing the site’s malthouse history while addressing planning constraints and challenging topography through careful massing and detailing.

On visiting our project, the judges said:

“Every aspect of this historic refurbishment and rear addition has been carefully thought through with the end resulting in a beautiful house embracing original materials and craftmanship with a wonderfully landscaped garden.”

Our conservation repair project at St George’s Church in Kemptown, Brighton where we are the Inspecting Architect saw another win in the Ecclesiastical Building category, which acknowledges ‘a restoration, repair, conversion or development scheme, which improves all, or part of an existing or former ecclesiastical building’.

The restoration of St George’s Church, a grade II listed building, focused on internal redecoration, structural repairs and refinishing to preserve its heritage and support continued worship and community use.  Works included plaster and joinery repairs, parquet floor restoration and minor roof maintenance, all carried out using traditional materials.   A phased approach ensured the church remained operational throughout, while sustainable practices enhanced energy efficiency and protected the building’s fabric and surrounding biodiversity.

Photo credit: DBR Limited

We have a longstanding client relationship with the parish and St George’s and for this project worked closely with DBR Limited building restoration services and Davies Floor Limited to prepare the church for its bicentennial celebrations (click here to read our previous News article).

The judges commented:

“A beautifully executed restoration of the interior of an outstanding Regency church. The parquet flooring was carefully restored and all interior walls and other surfaces repainted to match original colour. Richly deserves an Award.”

We are very proud and grateful to the Sussex Heritage Trust for these awards, and to our team for all their hard work on the projects.

If you would like to discuss your conservation (or any other) project, please contact us.

Some of our other conservation and ecclesiastical projects can be viewed on our Project pages.

The physical building works have focused on the conservation repair of the internal fabric that had been damaged by long-term water and moisture ingress.  Primarily this included repair of damaged historic plasterwork, after which the walls and galleries within the worship space and the entrance lobbies were redecorated.  Following the redecoration, the parquet floor in the nave, aisles and narthex, which had also suffered from water ingress and wear and tear generally, was refinished by DBR (London) Ltd and Davies Floor Ltd.

The Parish elected to keep the church open during the works, maintaining it as a place of worship on all but one Sunday when they needed to relocate to community centre room.

As well as assisting with the building project, Julian Vallis from the practice has aided the Parish with their bid for National Lottery Heritage funding to a provide vital contribution to the project.  This included Julian presenting three heritage workshops held at the church. The first focused on “Historic building conservation and techniques”, discussing how issues such as damage to lime plaster and Roman cement are being tackled and the necessary repairs carried out at the church.  The second considered “Heritage buildings and sustainability” looking specifically at St George’s and how they are working to lower operational carbon, such as with the introduction of solar PV panels.  Lastly the third workshop, entitled “Glass, lead and light”, presented a short history of stained glass before describing how the leaded light windows at St George’s had been rebuilt during an earlier project, also supported by the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Following completion of the building conservation works, activities to mark 200 years of community use of the church have taken place, acknowledging the building’s heritage.  This included a series of period-themed concerts, a heritage cinema club season, an open day, and a service of thanksgiving. 

During the open day, Julian also gave a presentation describing the work completed at the church with the help of the National Lottery Heritage Fund, and the work left to do.

The newly renovated church was visited on 27 March 2025 by His Royal Highness The Duke of Gloucester, during which he spoke to people involved in community life associated with the church and who had played a role in the bicentennial celebrations.

It has been a pleasure working with the church and playing our part in their festivities this year.

The full report of the bicentennial celebrations included in the spring/summer 2025 edition of ‘Faith in Sussex’ can be viewed here.

If you would like to discuss a conservation repair project, please contact us.

More of our conservation projects can be found here.

On visiting the project, the judges said:

“The North Park Furnace site is a rare survivor of the old Sussex Iron Industry and has been in the Barnes family since 1776…The functional, workmanlike restoration of the furnace site and the adjoining sluices and channels and the installation of good information boards enable the visitor to gain an understanding of how the Sussex Iron Industry worked, and the owners’ commitment is remarkable.”

Our previous article on the Fernhurst Furnace project is available here.

If you would like to discuss a potential conservation project, or any other project, with us please contact us and visit our Projects pages for further examples of our work.

Further information about the Sussex Heritage Trust is available here.

We were tasked with repairs to a failing dam and Scheduled Monument to protect some of the most complete archaeological remains of the historic Sussex iron industry. Despite the challenges of the pandemic, difficult site access and water management, we worked successfully with the client team and the contractor, CJ Thorne & Co,  to deliver a sympathetic repair.

A beautifully reinstated stone wall and arch are the highlight and restore the tranquil setting for public walking routes.

The projects were supported by grant funding from Historic England and the Natural England Countryside Stewardship Scheme over three and a half years.

Our previous article on the projects is available here.

Information about the Fernhurst Furnace 2022 Open Weekend in September is available here.

If you would like to discuss a potential conservation project, or any other project, with us please contact us and visit our Projects pages for further examples of our work.

The site is on the Heritage At Risk Register and received significant funding through the project development phase from the Repair Grants for Heritage at Risk offered by Historic England. During the main repair phase, the larger, southern half of the project was primarily funded again under the Historic England grant, alongside a considerable grant from the Headley Trust.

The repair of the northern section received significant grant funding through the Rural Protection Agency as part of the client and landowner’s Higher Tier Countryside Stewardship Grant for Historic and archaeological feature protection.

The furnace dates back to the 17^th and 18^th centuries when there was a thriving iron industry using local iron ore, charcoal and water power.  The site consists of a pond bay dam at the end of a man-made body of water, referred to as the furnace pond from its historic function of powering the site where cast iron, tools and cannon were produced.  The dam features two water outlet structures: at the north end a sluice drains the vast majority of the pond, while at the south end a secondary spillway, constructed in the 18^th century, once served as an overflow or diversion.

The site was listed as a Scheduled Ancient Monument in 2005 and the remains found there are some of the most accessible and interpretable examples of the historic iron industry in the Sussex Weald.  There is evidence of its operation as a charcoal blast furnace, possibly as early as the 16^th century, then from 1614 through various phases until its recorded closure in 1777.

Historic England’s reasons for designation state:

“The remains of the North Park Furnace iron works and gun foundry are well preserved and will increase our understanding of the post-medieval Wealden iron industry…. In addition, the site at Fernhurst …. is one of the earliest and best surviving sites in the western Weald.  It has been assessed as part of a national survey of the iron industry and is recognised as being nationally important for its type and period.”

For 30 years the landowners and the Fernhurst Furnace Preservation Group have strived to preserve the significant and visible archaeological remains, as well as the opportunity for further investigation and understanding of the wider site.

We were appointed as conservation architect and lead consultant for the urgent and critical repairs to the dam structures and conservation of the archaeology within the furnace site.  Works began in June 2021 and are due to complete imminently.  These have largely amounted to repair of the existing structures, with any modern engineering interventions concealed by carefully recorded and reinstated existing material.  The repairs were intended to remove later unsightly structural interventions and water diversion pipes that spoil the tranquillity of the site and obscure interpretation of the historic features.

As the project draws to a close, it is hoped that through the successful execution of the repair works, it should be possible to remove the site from the Heritage at Risk Register.  The remains will then be preserved, advancing understanding of this important historic industry.

For more information of our cultural and educational projects, please visit our projects pages.

If you would like to discuss a potential project, please contact us. 

The property has been a dental practice for over 100 years but wishes to expand the services it provides.  With this in mind, working with our client we have now obtained planning and listed building consent to address the disused and underutilised ground floor spaces to the rear, and to bring the long vacant first and second floor flats back into use as additional patient and staff facilities. 

Magnolia House is located in the St Faith’s Conservation Area in the historic centre of Havant.  It is one of a number of Georgian houses that characterise the area and contribute to its special interest. 

The house was built in the 18th century as a town house but turned to commercial use in the 19th century.  The building retains many of its early external and internal features, including historic panelling, doors and architraves, and contributes to the significance of the Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset.

The proposed works involve internal and external alterations to the rear ground floor entrance and within the north-west wing.  By addressing the varying floor levels in this area of the building, this wing of the surgery will become fully accessible and inclusive to the local community.  A new purpose-built entrance lobby will also create a welcoming approach and a clear route to the reception and waiting room areas, significantly improving accessibility.  

Having obtained consent for change of use from residential to commercial, it is also proposed to transform the first and second floor flats that have remained vacant for many years, adapting them from impractical residential use to a commercial purpose serving the dental practice.  On the first floor this will include reversing some mid-20th century interventions and opening up the space to create a waiting room leading to two additional dental surgeries.  The second floor alterations will provide greatly improved staff facilities and office space.  

Within their report, the Planning Department commented:

“Where new works are proposed they have been designed in a manner that respects the character of the building whilst resulting in minimal loss of historic fabric…The proposed structure is well designed and fits harmoniously into the setting…

..the scheme should indeed be commended for these proposals and they will all be in keeping with what exists currently whilst also restoring the building to a former glory.  This is very much in line with current conservation philosophy and practice.”

The scheme has enabled our client to take advantage of spaces that are not well used and to provide new facilities to better suit the needs of patients, and a growing local business.  We will now be assisting the client with the discharging the conditions for the listed building consent and the tender package.

Please visit our Projects pages to read more about some of our other commercial, conservation and heritage consultancy projects.

If you would like to discuss a potential project with us, please contact us.