Chimney Stack Conservation Set For Cragside House In Northumberland

A North Shields brickwork contractor is adding heritage work to its pipeline with a chimney stack conservation package at Cragside House, the Grade I-listed National Trust property near Rothbury, Northumberland.

Classic Masonry is set to carry out a mix of high-skill repairs to help protect the building’s chimney stacks. The scope covers stone cleaning, repointing, indenting, and flue repairs, all tasks that sit squarely in the day-to-day reality of masonry conservation work, where details and compatibility matter.

Cragside was created by industrialist William Armstrong and his wife, Margaret. The Victorian country house is known for being the first house in the world to be lit using hydroelectricity, adding another layer of significance to the project’s preservation goals.

The chimney works are part of wider roofing renovations at the property, overseen by Datim Building Contractors, based in Cramlington. For mason contractors working alongside a roofing team, coordination is part of the jobsite equation, especially where roof interfaces, flashings, and water management details meet masonry at chimneys.

Classic Masonry managing director Mike Moody said projects like Cragside demand “the very highest standards of heritage craftsmanship,” and that the work has been carefully planned with traditional materials and techniques to preserve the building’s historic character.

The company’s latest appointment follows its selection to support the renovation of 16 Barrington Street in South Shields, a Grade II-listed building being converted into a training hub. That pairing, restoration work on protected buildings and investment in training, points to a steady demand for crews who know traditional masonry repair techniques and the patience required to execute them well.

Read the full, original article from Bdaily here.

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