Archaeology Review 1996 - 97 : 4.19 Publications

4.0 Archaeological activities undertaken by English Heritage

4.10 Historic buildings and monuments grants

Where recording is a necessary part of a programme of repair works, it might be eligible for funding under any of the English Heritage grant schemes (Ancient Monuments and Historic Buildings Grants, Church Grants, or Cathedral Grants). Understanding and interpreting a structure is an essential first step in repair work, and creating an appropriate record of the work carried out is an important final stage in most repair programmes. Survey drawings of a building might be essential to provide a properly costed specification for archaeological repairs, or to target areas that require repair, and to ensure that the impact of works is clearly identified in advance. Recording programmes can take the form of an initial assessment, the compilation of a more detailed record prior to repair and conservation, a watching brief during works, and the preparation of a final report on completion. Recording involves the creation of measured drawings and condition surveys, often including the use of photogrammetry supported by detailed analysis. The proactive recording and analysis of a building therefore informs repair programmes and makes the work of engineers, architects, and conservators much easier.

Palace House Mansion, Newmarket, Suffolk

Following the Restoration, Charles II re-established the Royal patronage of Newmarket, and employed the gentleman-architect William Samwell to build his residence in the town. Works were begun late in 1668 and completed in 1671. The present Palace House Mansion incorporates the surviving range of Charles II's residence, consisting of an (originally) two-storey brick pavilion. The building was considerably altered and enlarged in the nineteenth century after ownership passed to the Rothschild family. During an extensive programme of adaptation and repair, part-funded by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, a former original window opening on the principal floor of the northern elevation was unblocked. This revealed the substantial surviving elements of a very early form of sash window. It was not until this window was examined in detail that its importance was recognised. The Newmarket window is now thought to be the earliest known relatively complete example of a solid-framed, vertically sliding sash window, which used the revolutionary counter-balance mechanism to keep the window open, without the need for catches or pegs. It is a remarkable and ingenious example of late seventeenth-century carpentry. Its solid framing must place it among the first experimental designs to have been used in this country and is further evidence that the counter-balanced, sash window was indeed an English invention.
	Palace House Mansion, Newmarket, Suffolk: internal elevation of window showing girding masonry exposed during the programme of works to the building; the immediate and original c 1670 brickwork is little disturbed

Following the Restoration, Charles II re-established the Royal patronage of Newmarket, and employed the gentleman-architect William Samwell to build his residence in the town. Works were begun late in 1668 and completed in 1671. The present Palace House Mansion incorporates the surviving range of Charles II's residence, consisting of an (originally) two-storey brick pavilion. The building was considerably altered and enlarged in the nineteenth century after ownership passed to the Rothschild family. During an extensive programme of adaptation and repair, part-funded by English Heritage and the Heritage Lottery Fund, a former original window opening on the principal floor of the northern elevation was unblocked. This revealed the substantial surviving elements of a very early form of sash window. It was not until this window was examined in detail that its importance was recognised. The Newmarket window is now thought to be the earliest known relatively complete example of a solid-framed, vertically sliding sash window, which used the revolutionary counter-balance mechanism to keep the window open, without the need for catches or pegs. It is a remarkable and ingenious example of late seventeenth-century carpentry. Its solid framing must place it among the first experimental designs to have been used in this country and is further evidence that the counter-balanced, sash window was indeed an English invention.

Palace House Mansion, Newmarket, Suffolk: internal elevation of window showing girding masonry exposed during the programme of works to the building; the immediate and original c 1670 brickwork is little disturbed

House Mill, Bromley-by-Bow, Newham

The structural repairs to the mill, funded by an English Heritage grant are now complete and the programme of historical research and building analysis by Julian Harrap Architects (also funded by English Heritage), is in its final stages. The study has traced the development of the mill from its medieval origins, including its rebuilding in 1797, the layout and workings of the mill machinery, and their complete overhaul in the late nineteenth century. It has involved a detailed study of the structure of the mill, and the evidence contained within its fabric for the development of its workings, and a careful integration of these results with the documentary sources. This research goes a long way to explaining the history of the mill and will inevitably form the basis for any proposed publication or displays on the history of the site.

Pell Wall Hall, Market Drayton, Shropshire

Pell Wall Hall, a villa designed by Sir John Soane in his final years between 1822 and 1829, was gutted by fire in 1987. The Pell Wall Trust was then formed to restore the building to its original appearance by removing later accretions with a £1,000,000 grant from English Heritage; the repairs to the exterior masonry envelope and structure are now complete. The restoration has been based on a careful study of the surviving fabric and the original documentation preserved at the Soane Museum. £25,000 of the repair grant was earmarked for recording and analysis of the building, which has been undertaken by the architects for the Trust. The record consists of drawings and photographs cross referenced by architectural feature with Soane's original documentation. The building is ready to progress to fitting out and the Pell Wall Hall Trust is working with the Landmark Trust to obtain a grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the next stage. The interiors will be restored where possible to their original appearance. The architects are considering options for the publication of their research.