Project Description

The Old Manor, Droitwich

This listed building was steeped in history, and famed for being given to Catherine of Aragon through her divorce settlement from Henry VIII. The objective was to extend the kitchen, complementing the original features of the house, as well as renovating parts of the property back to a good state of lasting repair. On this build it was the electrics that became a major part of the renovation process. Over the years, there had been multiple changes and add-ons, some of which were dangerous and illegal. An unforeseen issue arose when we came to fit the underfloor heating. When uncovering the ground floor, we found it has been constructed previously incorrectly, with timber ground embedded in concrete, thus making the wood rot and needing to completely come out. Our continued interest in listed building comes from the many historical features that can be discovered. This property was no different. Whilst working on renovating a fireplace in the dining room and making sure that it met the new safety standards, we were amazed to discover not just the original fire place behind, but also a bread oven. This would have dated back to the 1600’s. Because this was such an attractive feature, both we and the client were keen to keep it in place, so this was restored successfully.