External Envelope Repairs to Grade I Listed Hovingham Hall, North Yorkshire

Hovingham Hall sits within the historic Hovingham Estate, much of which lies in the Howardian Hills Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty in North Yorkshire. This Grade I listed Palladian country house is renowned for its unique architecture and heritage significance. As a local contractor, CG Building & Restoration Ltd was appointed as Main Contractor to carry out external envelope repairs to the Stables and the North and South Lodges, forming part of a wider conservation programme across the estate.

The works included recovering the roofs with associated leadwork, isolated repointing, isolated stone replacements, refurbishment of rainwater goods and full external redecoration. All repairs were carried out with sensitivity to the building’s historic fabric and in accordance with best practice for Grade I listed structures.

Scaffolding was erected to the North, South and East elevations, designed to avoid any damage to the building’s masonry or architectural features. Existing Westmorland slates were carefully removed, re‑dressed and re‑holed for reuse. Battens and underlay were removed with particular care to avoid disturbing the lath and plaster ceilings below. While the roof coverings were stripped, repairs were carried out to the timber roof structure using like‑for‑like timber species for replacement rafters, and purlin ends were repaired using traditional scarf joints.

Sheep’s wool insulation was installed to the ceilings, followed by breathable felt and counter battens. The roof coverings were reinstated using reclaimed Westmorland Green slate in random widths and diminishing courses to match the original roofscape.

Chimneys were repointed and chimney pots replaced, along with all associated new leadwork to roofs, chimneys and gutters. Existing cast iron rainwater goods were removed for full refurbishment, including abrasive cleaning, replacement of corroded sections, resealing and redecoration.

Repairs were carried out to existing painted timber windows, with decayed cill sections cut out and replaced by splicing in new timber. Windows were then re‑sealed and re‑painted along with all external woodwork.

Stone replacements and repointing were completed across the building’s façade. All masonry joints were raked out by hand and repointed in lime mortar. Replacement sandstone was sourced from a local quarry, and our skilled stonemasons carefully removed and replaced defective stones without damaging surrounding areas.

These works were undertaken while the estate remained fully operational and while the North Lodge continued to be occupied by residential tenants, requiring careful planning, coordination and sensitivity throughout.

This project demonstrates our expertise in Grade I listed building conservation, traditional roofing, lime work, stone masonry, timber repairs and external envelope restoration across North Yorkshire.