Durham Station Masonry Repairs

Our Client, London North Eastern Railway (LNER) instructed us to undertake masonry repairs on Durham Station, a Grade II Listed Building. This was a highly unique project that required extensive planning, as there was a large emphasis on enhancing the building's visual and structural features, without eroding the building's valuable heritage.

Action
We cut out the face of the defective stone, and re-faced it with new stone that matched the existing structure. The standard of the replacement stone was closely monitored by the local authority LBC representative.

Stakeholders
Due to the station’s heritage, it was crucial that we communicated effectively with our Client and stakeholders from contract award. We were sympathetic to the Grade II Listed Building throughout. We liaised closely with local authorities throughout the project to ensure that the renovation was to their expected high standard.

Effective liaison was also crucial to ensuring the safety of the public in the busy station environment, and we worked proactively to ensure that all concerned parties were listened to and taken into account.

Challenges and Solutions

  • The highly unique nature of the stonework that we had to replace posed a challenge in this project. As we removed the defective stone, we had to ensure that the replacement stone was very similar to the pre-existing structure. We therefore liaised closely with local authorities throughout to engineer an authentic solution. We sourced the stone from a local quarry, ensuring that it was in keeping with its surroundings. To replace the stone, we hired a specialist subcontractor, who completed the works to an excellent standard

Challenges and Solutions (Continued)

  • Another challenge was posed through the need to operate within an extremely busy, live station. Access to the platforms had to be maintained at all times, and works were undertaken on an existing staircase that was used heavily. We overcame this by phasing our works methodically, and we frequently worked through nights to minimise disruption to commuters
  • Result
    All works were completed within budget and in a timely manner, much to the delight of our client. Through proactive collaboration with both our Client and the local authority, we ensured that client satisfaction was guaranteed, whilst securing the support of the local community by preserving a much treasured element of Durham’s infrastructure. Local stakeholders were delighted that the station remained fully operational throughout our works.

    The Difference We Made
    We successfully maintained the heritage of this Listed Building by completing authentic repairs that will preserve the structure for many years to come. We were delighted to have had the opportunity to help preserve the character of this fantastic building.

    Masonry Repairs to Durham Station

    Client: London North Eastern Railway (LNER)
    Location: Durham
    Contract Value: £91,000
    Contract Period: 9 weeks, ending May 2020