Roof Repair Design and Specification, Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal

Evans & James were appointed by The National Trust to provide listed building roof repair design and technical specification for a roof covering renewal at Fountains Abbey & Studley Royal.

The Western Tabernacle is one of two fishing pavilions which are grade II* listed and are situated on the weir of the canal within the Studley Royal designed landscape. This landscape is Grade I registered and is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, with the Outstanding Universal Value (OUV) being noted for the 18th Century Gardens surviving substantially in their original form, along with being “one of the most spectacular water gardens in England”. The full UNESCO OUV can be found here.

The Western Tabernacle had been suffering prolonged water ingress at the apex which had compromised the  integrity of the timber hips, along with adjacent rafters. Due to the design of the roof structure it was not possible to undertake partial splice replacement of the concentrated areas of damage without unsightly steel plates. All four hips, and the rotten rafters therefore required full replacement which would necessitate the full strip of the roof covering to facilitate the works. To take advantage of the scaffolding that would be required to execute the works, the National Trust also wanted to undertake repointing to the external elevations where this was required, along with external joinery repairs and redecoration.

With three elevations facing onto water, a complex scaffolding solution would be required and Evans & James recommended that this be designed from the outset so that we could ascertain at an early stage whether Ordinary Watercourse Consent would also be required. We therefore worked with the client nominated scaffolding firm to design a fully freestanding scaffold solution which would cantilever from the internal bird cage scaffold internally. We also had to consider the four culverts running beneath the Tabernacle and potential loading implications of any kentledge.

Running concurrently with this design, Evans & James developed a Schedule of Works for the roof repairs and roof covering renewal, along with a Design and Access Statement and Heritage Statement as supporting documents for the Listed Building Consent application. Whilst a planning decision was awaited, Evans & James managed the procurement and tender analysis recommending a contractor to appoint.

With Listed Building Consent granted, The National Trust will now be taking forward the implementation of the roof repairs and covering renewal in Autumn 2025.

For more information about out specification and procurement services, please visit our repair and conservation page.