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HERITAGE SURVEYS AND ASSET PROTECTION
Heritage Surveys & Asset Protection
Protecting Heritage Assets from Modern Developments
The protection of heritage assets sits at the heart of our communities. ByrneLooby London assesses the condition and advises protection strategies for heritage assets that are vulnerable either from developments (which in cities may include construction above and below ground - such as underground rail, stations and tunnels) or from fire and flood or a result of past alterations and additions over the years. HS2 - The southern section of the HS2 Crossrail from Euston to West Ruislip Portal traces a route directly through 170 Listed Buildings and 80 Listed Monuments. ByrneLooby’s Conservation Team has been engaged to undertake the survey work of each and every one of these heritage assets, assessing the tunnelling impacts on those structures that sit with the ‘1mm settlement corridor’. Our HS2 brief goes beyond identifying structural robustness, it delves into historic features and attributes to recommend protection and mitigation measures that preserve the heritage. St. Stephen’s Rosslyn Hill - is a remarkable, recently restored Grade I neo-gothic church situated on a steep slope beside the Royal Free Hospital. Our team was appointed to monitor the potential effects and damage caused by groundworks at the hospital. St Mary Abchurch - The present church is by Sir Christopher Wren and dates from 1681-6. The church is grade I listed and is noted for its grand interior timber framed dome, lined with plaster and highly decorated. The Bank Station Capacity upgrade scheme included a new running tunnel about 23m below ground level and directly under St Mary Abchurch. ByrneLooby’s role included a detailed study of the building and the considerable body of documentation assembled by LUL’s advisors and contractors, advice on behalf of the church on the likely effects of the tunnelling, assessment of the proposed mitigation measures to the window openings and the timber framed dome. Sophisticated real time monitoring systems were installed including a unique application of a specialised fibre optic cable which could detect infinitesimal changes in length, both on the main walls and around the dome to provide a much greater than normal body of knowledge about the behaviour of an 18th C building to below ground disturbance.
St Mary Abchurch, London, UK
St Stephen’s, Rosslyn HIll, London, UK
OVERVIEW
Consecrated in 1893, ‘St. Patrick’s Church’ is a Grade II* listed Roman Catholic church, on the site of an earlier building, which had been in use as a place of worship since 1802. The current building was designed by John Kelly of Kelly and Birchall Architects. To the front right-hand side of the church is a house dating back to 1791, which was retained and continues in use as the presbytery. In 2010-2012 ByrneLooby designed a scheme that greatly extended the usable floor area by excavating beneath the nave to extend the existing partial basement to the full plan area of the building. From the outset, it was known that the adjacent London Underground (LUL) Tottenham Court Road station would be extended to a depth of 43m only 2m away from the church and that the Crossrail tunnels would be bored directly beneath. Later on, the extensive site cleared for the station would be redeveloped as retail and offices with a new theatre to replace the demolished “Astoria”. All these works were carried out under the authority of an act of parliament, The Crossrail Act 2008, so that building owners had little say or defense in what was to be done or how they might be affected.
OUR ROLE
ByrneLooby’s role was to act as an informed and robust advocate for the church, to protect the building, and the safety of the users. To allow the work of the parish to continue uninterrupted, to review the monitoring processes; of which there were nine, to ensure that there was a clear record of condition, to resolve day-to-day matters with Crossrail and LUL, and to assist with agreeing to a satisfactory outcome. Structural cracking did occur during the works, and a financial settlement was agreed with Crossrail. ByrneLooby prepared a schedule of structural repairs to make good the damaged walls and arches. The new commercial developments on the cleared site over the underground station are nearing completion (late 2021) and damage from these will be resolved after following this. undertook the contaminated land assessment and made recommendations for the clean-up and redevelopment of the site. Location: London Capital Value: Undisclosed Project Name: St Patrick’s Church, Soho Square - Crossrail Development Country: UK Client: St. Patrick’s Catholic Church
