Member Article

York Handmade praised for pivotal role in restoration of a city centre gem

A leading Yorkshire brickmaker has played a pivotal part to restoring of one of York’s finest Georgian townhouses to its former glory.

The award-winning York Handmade Brick Company, based at Alne, near Easingwold, has provided bespoke handmade bricks for 14 Lendal, now the proud home of the House of Trembling Madness bar.

York Handmade worked with the York Conservation Trust to deliver this special project, which has just been honoured in the York Design Awards.

David Armitage, chairman of York Handmade, explained: “This was a very significant project for us, as it is always an honour and a privilege to work in our home city, which is so full of history and whose heritage is so special.

“Many people will know 14 Lendal as the popular old Robinson and Cooper leather and luggage shop. It now houses a very different kind of operation in the House of Trembling Madness, but it still looks fantastic. It remains a classic Georgian townhouse and we are proud that our bricks are an integral part of its elegant exterior.

“We provided 650 smooth textured Weathered Red bricks and 50 arched bricks for the building’s façade and another 1500 handmade bricks for repairs and replacements at the back of the building,” explained Mr Armitage. “We are especially pleased that our bricks are virtually indistinguishable from the originals.”

Robinson & Cooper, which was founded in 1840, moved to 14 Lendal in 1911. The shop closed in 2014.

In 2015 York Conservation Trust (YCT) acquired the property with the ambition of restoring it to its former glory and putting it back into full use. The restoration work was completed earlier this year after eighteen months of painstaking work.

Guy Bowyer, the YCT architect who masterminded the renovation of 14 Lendal, explained: “Despite an in-depth search, it was not possible to locate bricks of a suitable size and colour. So we contacted York Handmade Bricks for assistance and, as ever, they were very helpful.

“After visiting the site and looking at options, batches of specially-made bricks to match the size, texture and coloration of the existing bricks were ordered and delivered. The restoration work has been executed to an exemplary standard.

“The building team and York Handmade have done an excellent job. Despite being extensive, it is not obvious how much of the masonry has been repaired; it is very difficult to distinguish the new from the existing brickwork,” said Mr Bowyer.

• 14 Lendal won the John Shannon Conservation Award in the 2018 York Design Awards.

For further information, please contact Robert Beaumont of Robert Beaumont Associates on 01423 323139 or 07710 127713 or at robert@robertbeaumont.co.uk

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Robert Beaumont .