The Grade II listed gothic revival style Estates Building was built in 1864 and sits in the heart of Huddersfield town. In 2021, work began on essential repairs and restoration of the building’s historic features to make it fit for re-purposing as a residential development. This major renovation project is part of a joint initiative between Kirklees Council and Historic England, and together they commissioned Everlast to build a protective scaffold over the entire restoration area to enable detailed surveys and subsequent works to be carried out.

The roof of the vast Estates Building comprises different sections of varying pitch and height, surrounded by a corbeled-out parapet. It also features octagonal turrets, balconies, windows, chimneys, pinnacles, gargoyles and decorative stonework. The building’s location, opposite the main pick-up/drop-off area for the train station, made it imperative that the scaffold cause minimum disruption to the roads and pavements. This complexity of shape, detail and location created a series of challenges for both Everlast and the company we commissioned to devise the multi-faceted design, Creator Scaffold Designs.

Throughout the restoration period Kirklees Council wanted, as much as possible, to maintain a two-meter-wide footpath around the perimeter of the building. We erected hoarding to provide a barrier between the site and the public; this allowed footpaths to remain open while works were undertaken and prevented unauthorised access to the scaffold. Some sections of the front elevation projected out over the footpath, so to maintain the required two meters the scaffold was designed to rise from the floor, close to the building, before cantilevering out to achieve enough space within the scaffold itself for the works to be implemented. Bridging sections above the doors were also incorporated to maintain access at all main entrances. We constructed the temporary roof for the Estates Building in four different sections to accommodate the complex form and variety of heights.

A traditional tube and fitting style roof clad with corrugated iron sheets created the roofing membrane, with each section tailored to the specific requirements of each area. Varying thicknesses of lattice beams were used to keep both weight and cost to a minimum. To ensure that the ties were installed into structurally sound building strata, we referred to survey drawings created by the conservation team and designed a bespoke tie pattern. This pattern, with some additional bracing, allowed the scaffold to be secured without damaging the building’s historic features. We also used self-tapping masonry bolts to tie in the scaffold; unlike traditional fixings which leave behind a plastic plug, or resin anchors, these self-tapping bolts cut a thread into the stone itself. Easily removed, they exert less expansion force than plastic plug fixings and leave a smaller hole which can be filled with a colour-matched mortar.

After Heritage England had completed their survey, HH Smith was appointed as the main contractor for the restoration works. They consulted with us on the scaffolding modifications required to complete the project; these included the integration of two hoists (in addition to the one within the original scaffold), an extra staircase and additional entrances to the scaffold in the courtyard area where the building materials were being stored. We also erected bespoke scaffolding around each of the 14 chimneys and created a special three-tiered scaffolding platform to enable the stone, lead and slate work to be completed on each of the steeply pitched turrets.

The Estates Building is an important part of the Huddersfield Blueprint which aims to deliver a variety of new homes by making use of some of the town’s heritage buildings. This major repair programme will help protect and preserve the building while plans for its future use are explored.

Everlast Group has worked on a variety of refurbishment and new build across all sectors