Charles has been collecting architectural period details since he was 3 and has amassed a unique collection of England’s stylistic and technological developments in this area.

The thousands of examples of doors, windows, latches, pulleys, lead works, and joinery are dwarfed only by Charles’ encyclopedic knowledge of their styles, production, origins, makers, and exceptions.

The collection and Charles where dragged into the 21st century with the launch off his new website last month enabling wider access to this valuable resource.

www.thebrookingcollection.com/

A lot of attention and time taken over the preparation meant that the process could run smoothly and everything could fit.
The final product used modern adapted materials in the process though the final product was the same material to the original satisfying the Conservation Officer to this Grade 2* Welsh town house.

The weekend 21st and 22nd February EOP held a stand at the Listed Property Owners Show at Olympia. Their first in over a decade since the Heritage fair on Brunswick lawns, Hove.

Neil demonstrated forming an oval moulding using a trammel while Sarah modelled the company logo cartouche  in a sand and lime mortar mix.

It was a great opportunity to meet with owners of  listed properties and discuss the issues they faced. It was also a fantastic meeting ground for other trades and professions concentrating  in the heritage field.

On Saturday Nick Tyson joined the stand who, along with Neil, discussed projects from the perspective of historic consultancy and surveying the building’s fabric.

Trammel demonstration

EOP will be taking part in the Listed Property Owners Club show at Olympia Two. 21st and 22nd of February and entry is Free.

We will be found at stand B9 demonstrating modelling, sculpture repair and ornamental plastering.

www.listedpropertyshow.co.uk

Regency Renovations

The consultancy wing of EOP is currently designing the new layout and overseeing works to two Grade I Recency properties in Sussex Square, Brighton.

Below the surface dry rot had bloomed out in many of the cavities turning the woodwork to dust. The Integrity of the lime plaster and the horse hair binding it held true without support. Although these walls are now being re-lathed and plastered it holds great testiment to the fantastic properties of these traditional materials.

The sympathetic renovations continue to bring these buildings up to the standard of it’s prestigious location.

The space allows larger plaster cove runs to work alongside more delicate modelling projects such as the recreation of a Georgian swag from a clutch of grainy photographs. Work in progress is shown below, along with one of the finished griffins from the summer.

As autumn moves in we are wrapping up the exterior lime contracts for the season. The constant battle against cement render is seen by water ingress to a lot of brickwork and the locally abundant bungarouche, this has required reconstruction of lead lined gutters and chimneys this year before rendering with lime and sand.

The below picture shows some replacement spandrels being run  in situ in lime render and a series of hood mouldings.

Care of: Neil/Cliff/Sarah
1 Church Road
Portslade
BN41 1LB

Usual telephone number. Of course our head office remains in Storrington.

The spring brings with it the larger exterior contracts that have been patiently waiting for a straight run of opportunity throughout the winter months

Cliff and his team have embarked on this year’s phase of works at Coates Castle. A regular group of clients that care of this beautiful manor north of Arundel. 

Their tasks will be re rendering flat areas of lime, running the string course and reconstructing a faux turret and crenellations built of clunch which have eroded by water ingress through damaged render.

Nearby is an ex-priory possibly by Pugin which is commencing a major restoration project. This contract holds a nice job for our sculpture department with a series of 12 griffins 4 of which require substantial remodeling.

The major phase of works to halt major neglect and decline of this building (the only Robert Adam building south of the Thames) completed 3 years ago with innovative mastic works to the facade by EOP.

Neil in his consultancy capacity still keeps a watchful eye on the property and hopes are high for a new purpose and life for it in the near future.