Henry Brothers Bringing History to Life
As Henry Brothers Ltd celebrates it’s 35th birthday, this new Chartered Building Company is helping to bring history to life on one of it’s flagship sites.
Antrim Castle Gardens is an extensive restoration and renovation project being carried out for Antrim Borough Council in Northern Ireland. The aim is to develop an already popular recreational area into a modern visitor and community attraction through the refurbishment of a number of buildings and features.
While marking out the site of a room once used for music rehearsal, the team discovered a feature which was not on any plans or records. They uncovered a basement area to the room and immediately called in the archaeological experts. After carefully excavating and clearing the area was found to contain a hand operated pump once used to bring water from the nearby river to the castle. Antrim Castle was constructed in the early 17th century on a 52 acre site beside Lough Neagh. The castle was destroyed by fire in 1922 and part of the work now being undertaken is to mark out the footprint of this historic building with granite stepping stones, erect a stone portal at the position of the main entrance along with interpretive panels depicting features from the original building.
A number of original buildings remain and it is these which are the focus of the work by Henry Brothers. The most impressive Clotworthy House will be an exhibition centre, café, shop and conference centre. The Long Barn will house an art gallery while the Victorian Garage becomes a music studio. The site is in a Conservation Area and all buildings are either listed or scheduled monuments. In practical terms this means lime mortar is being used instead of sand/cement, existing brick and stone is reused where possible and 80,000 reclaimed bricks have been used. The roof of the Victorian Garage is covered with sedum and the heating for all the buildings is provided by burning wood pellets. Contracts Director Ian McCully MCIOB says – “this is one of the most interesting sites I have managed in my 25 years with Henry Brothers. The challenge is to combine the traditional skills like stonemasonry with the modern technologies used in the internal fit-out of the buildings.”
Other works include the restoration of Deerpark Bridge, the Italian Tower and two 17th century water features which are being drained and restored using greenheart timber and puddle clay. Two heritage garden areas are being restored to their former glory as enjoyed by Lord and Lady Masserene in the late 1800s. During the work the park remains open for the public to enjoy the grounds and the wildlife including protected species – smooth newts, swifts, otters and Pipistrelle bats.
The challenges and complexities faced in this project have been recognized during a site monitor visit by Considerate Constructors where a Grade A was achieved. The most recent ISO14001 audit concluded – “This is an extremely well run site, good awareness of environmental controls, effective compliance records and strong commitment”.
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