Staff of collapsed construction firm recruited to newly-launched restoration business
A CONSTRUCTION and historic buildings restoration company has launched in York employing local craftsman and staff who previously worked at the collapsed William Anelay Ltd.
Heritage Building & Conservation of York, led by an industry specialist who was behind projects at Castle Howard and York Minster, will provide traditional craft skills and expertise to support heritage property owners, professional teams, and local authorities throughout the North.
The company, which also has an office in Manchester, has recruited local craftsmen with traditional skills and experience of working with historic buildings.
Heritage Building & Conservation (York) is being led by historic buildings specialist, Chris Quinn, who has been active in the heritage building sector for 12 years, including major projects such as Castle Howard, Pontefract Castle, Hexham Abbey, and York Minster, and Sam Weller, a former stonemason, whose experience includes working on a garden obelisk at the Highgrove Estate for Prince Charles, Scarborough Rotunda and Wentworth Castle.
The North West office is being led by a former stonemason, Adrian Walker, who has worked on many restoration projects with heritage architects in the North West and English Heritage, including Manchester Cathedral.
Mr Quinn says: “This is an entirely new and separate company with a fresh team, bags of energy, top-level heritage buildings experience and a bright future thanks to our backing from a South African businessman recognised internationally for his work in the historic buildings sector and preserving traditional craft skills.
“The North of England’s history as a significant religious, government, utility and industrial heartland of the UK, means that there is, and always will be, a need to maintain and restore its many beautiful, spectacular and historic buildings and Heritage Building & Conservation (York) is committed to doing this to the highest possible standards.”
The new company, which has employed local craftsman and key staff experienced in heritage construction, some of whom worked at William Anelay Ltd, which went into administration in September, already has several projects in the pipeline including the completion of works at Bradford City Hall, and the restoration of an historic private house in Hertfordshire.
Heritage Building and Conservation (York) is a subsidiary of HB&C Investments, Waltham Cross, and will work alongside a sister business, Heritage Building and Conservation Ltd, which has offices in Huntingdon and Litchfield, to support heritage building and restoration projects across the UK.
HB&C Investments, owned by South African businessman Gordon Verhoef, now also owns two former York-based companies, Hare and Ransome Joinery and Lowery Roofing, which were previously part of the William Anelay group, which completed scores of high-profile historic and listed buildings schemes, but were not affected by its trading difficulties.
Mr Verhoef has a strong, internationally-recognised commitment to preserving traditional craftsmanship and skills. He has spent the last six decades in the restoration, conservation and building industry internationally. As well as running a main contracting business in South Africa, he has several UK businesses, including London-based restoration and new-build stone company, Szerelmey, one of the oldest companies of its kind in the UK.
During the past few years Gordon Verhoef established Chichester Stoneworks after the demise of the Cathedral Works Organisation and launched Heritage Building and Conservation Ltd following the collapse of Fairhurst Ward Abbotts, Dartford.
