Chiswick House is one of the finest Palladian villas in England, designed and built by Lord Burlington in the 1720s. In public ownership since 1929, the house has fine interiors and still houses a great number of works of art, as well as having several fine ceiling paintings by William Kent. Therefore, the proper upkeep of the building is of the utmost importance.
Skillingtons won the main contract for roofing and guttering repairs combined with making good damage to external render and redecoration by competitive tender, carrying out the works in 2012. Due to the importance of the interiors a full temporary roof was required by the client, and the management of this, and of security issues raised by having such extensive scaffolding, with a leaded cupola, in an isolated location, was one of the challengers successfully dealt with by Skillingtons team on the project. The exterior render, including the run and embellished cornice, had damage associated with gutter failure, all of which was made good using hydraulic lime repairs. The gutters were re-done, including adjustment to levels, outlets, and steps, in tern-coated stainless steel. Minor repairs were carried out to the roof slates, and the render re-decorated in silicate masonry paint to match the existing.
This project was carried out at a difficult time of year to a very tight timescale, but was completed successfully, on time and to budget.
Contract value range: circa £200,000
Client: English Heritage
Architect: Davies Sutton Architects, Cardiff
