Thomasons acted as project managers and designers for the restoration of Crathorne Hall Hotel, a historically important Grade II* former stately home in Yarm, North Yorkshire.
In October 2014, the entire four-storey east wing of the hotel was destroyed by fire, from the roof down to the basement. This critical part of the hotel contained the kitchen, function suites, 17 bedrooms, laundry and stores.
Thomasons provided a full suite of consultancy services – project management, cost control and structural, architectural and M&E design – to restore the building to its original state, working closely with Historic England and Hambleton District Council.
To get the hotel up and running again as quickly as possible, Thomasons designed a temporary kitchen in a marquee linked to the west side of the main building, which was constructed in less than six weeks, and negotiated a fast-track procurement process to start work on site while the detailed design of the East Wing was still ongoing.
As the building is of national historic interest, the quality of the restoration was paramount. Thomasons identified the restoration work required by compiling a meticulous record of every detail of construction.
The work included reconstructing the roof in its original style; rebuilding massive chimneys in the original stone; reinstating floors and partition walls using original joinery methods; creating new attic dormer windows using grade 8 lead and reinstating ceilings using lath and lime plaster methods.
Thomasons also oversaw the design and installation of the new electrical, plumbing and heating systems, and managed the fixtures and fittings installation, assisted by the client’s interior designer.
This extensive restoration took 11 months and required great skill in balancing the sensitive replication of this historically-important building with achieving full compliance with building regulations.
Although it had generally been envisaged as a two-year project, the hotel re-opened on 1st October 2015, on the one-year anniversary of the fire.
“The sign of a good job is not to realise that the work has been done … the restored works blend in seamlessly with the hotel.” Ian Maxey, Pproject & Group Energy Manager, Hand Picked Hotels
