Express & Star

The manor reborn: Stately home near Wolverhampton being restored to former glory

It's been ravaged by rain and snow but now the roof at Moseley Old Hall is being made watertight as part of a major restoration and conservation project.

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Moseley Old Hall is surrounded by scaffolding as the restoration work on the roof of the stately home is carried out

Since November scaffolding has been in place at the National Trust property which is famed for being the hiding place of King Charles II after he fled the Battle of Worcester in 1651.

Staff first realised urgent action needed to be taken after heavy snowfall at the end of 2017 took its toll on the roof.

Water had leaked through to the attic of the hall in Featherstone where visitors are able to view the original Elizabethan star chimneys.

FEATURES COPYRIGHT TIM STURGESS EXPRESS AND STAR...... 11/03/2020.... Restoration work is taking place at Moseley Old Hall where a new roof is being installed.Pictured, David Booth ..

Work to replace some of the tiles and repair small portions of the guttering was carried out but it soon became apparent that the roof was in a far worse state than first anticipated.

"To leave it like that would have been like putting sticking plaster over a broken leg. We realised there was more significant work needed on the roof," says visitor experience manager Zoe Willems.

A more in-depth survey was needed to assess the damage to the tiles, joints and guttering, which required scaffolding to be put up around the hall.

Due to the high costs involved, it was decided to carry out whatever restoration work was needed at the same time rather than pay for scaffolding twice.

Zoe Willems examines the roof space

"We decided to bite the bullet and do the work that's needed on the roof of the house to preserve it," says Zoe, who has been in her role for three years.

A fundraising campaign was launched in 2018 to help generate funds towards the cost of the project which was initially estimated to be around £60,000.

As part of the preparations for the works, a bat survey also had to be carried out to ensure there would be no possible disruption to the protected species while the restoration project was taking place.

Roof work taking place in the 1960s

Staff had previously seen the creatures flying around the attic so they weren't too surprised to discover they had a resident colony living in the roof space.

"We have pipistrelles and a breeding colony of long-eared brown bats. This impacted on when we could start the work because they are a protected species.

"We needed to wait until the autumn when the colony disperses and we have to be finished by the end of the March so we don't disturb them coming back. We've had to preserve the house but make sure it's still a home for bats," says Zoe, who also works at Wightwick Manor.

Moseley Old Hall

The re-roofing work is being carried out by heritage specialists Midland Conservation who have also re-pointed the chimneys.

Inside the attic space, they've used a technique called torching to keep the tiles in place using lime mortar. "The main attic space is part of the visitor route and we want to keep it looking how it always has done so you can see how a building of this age was made.

"The tools they are using are pretty much the same as what they would have used in the 17th century, they've just got plastic handles instead of wooden ones," says Zoe.

The view from the roof

The cost of the project, which is estimated to be in excess of £100,000, has been part-funded by a legacy from Dr Roy Chand and his wife May who spent many years researching and volunteering at Moseley Old Hall.

Money has also been raised through the sale of raffle tickets and second-hand books, donations from support groups and visitors to the property.

"We didn't know before we started if the contractors would find major problems. Thankfully they haven't and it's been relatively straightforward.

"The contractors have been out there during storms Dennis and Ciara. The team has been fantastic and they've worked very hard," says Zoe.

The last time major work was carried out on the roof was in 1962 when the property was taken on by the National Trust following a major campaign.

"It's our generation's turn to look after the house like they did 60 years ago. Hopefully the work we are doing will last for generations. We're known as the house that saved a king so we are saving the roof that saves the house that saved a king," says Zoe.

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