York conservation building firm’s projects get a Royal visit

The Prince of Wales visited the completed restoration of two historic buildings, by York-based conservation firm William Anelay Ltd, in the space of just 48 hours.

On Tuesday (26 Jan), The Prince of Wales saw the finished refurbishment of The Wedgwood Institute near Stoke-on-Trent, where The Prince’s Regeneration Trust have led on the first phase of restoration work which was carried out by William Anelay Ltd. These include major repairs to the roof of the Venetian Gothic building.

Yesterday ( 28 Jan), The Prince, accompanied by The Duchess of Cornwall, also toured the newly restored Grade-II listed Wilton’s Music Hall in London’s East End.

Built in 1858, the building is the world’s last surviving Grand Music Hall. The Wilton’s Music Hall Trust was formed in late 2004, and over the next decade the team worked tirelessly to restore and repair the building.

The William Anelay team completed its restoration work on the hall at the end of last year.

Chairman Charles Anelay, who represented the company on both days, said: “We are delighted that HRH The Prince of Wales saw the work that we have done for The Prince’s Regeneration Trust and The Wilton’s Music Hall Trust. It was pleasing to be able to explain more about our work and outline some future plans for the buildings.

“The Prince took a great interest. These two fantastic buildings have a fascinating history and are highly significant from a heritage perspective. They also continue to play an important role in modern life.”

William Anelay’s work on Wilton’s began with the stabilising of terraced houses, dating back to the 1690s, which were knocked together to form the Hall’s original structure in the nineteenth century. Fireplaces, Georgian brickwork, rotten window frames and a railway track built into the works were among the features preserved.

Salvaged materials were used, along with new ones. The Theatres Trust has described Wilton’s Music Hall as “the most important surviving early music hall to be seen anywhere. It is of outstanding architectural and archaeological significance”.

William Anelay’s work on The Wedgwood Institute has been initiated by The Prince’s Regeneration Trust, which launched the project to save the institute in 2009 for the benefit of the local community. During the project the company completed emergency roof repairs to make the building safe and also undertook a clearing out. The large building is located in Queen Street, in the town of Burslem, near Stoke-on-Trent.

Founded in 1747, William Anelay Ltd is one of the oldest construction companies in the world. Headquartered in York, the company employs over 150 staff and has a turnover of £35m.

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