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Liberty's
Façade and Roof Refurbishment
Tucked just off the constant movement of Regent Street, Liberty had long stood apart, an island of craft and character in the heart of London’s West End. Built in the 1920s in a Tudor Revival style, the building carried its own mythology, constructed from 24,000 cubic feet of ancient ship timbers reclaimed from two three-decker battle ships. The structure itself told stories before a single product was ever displayed inside.
Client
Liberty London
Dates
2019
—
2022
Location
London
Grade listing
Grade II
Fabric
Timber
A Building Made of History
By the end of 2019, time and exposure had left their mark on Liberty’s façades and roofs. DBR London was commissioned to undertake a multi-million-pound programme of refurbishment, charged with protecting the building’s distinctive character while restoring its performance for the future. The scope was extensive, encompassing the overhaul of more than 1,300 leaded light windows and the contractor design of three roof lanterns spanning the store’s central atriums.
Stripping Back to Reveal the Craft
Work began with careful paint stripping across the rendered façade panels, teak timber elevations, and intricate carved details. Beneath the layers, original materials were revealed and assessed. Joinery repairs followed, leading into full redecoration, while DBR’s skilled stonemasons carried out sensitive stonework repairs, restoring weathered details without losing the building’s hand-crafted feel.
Details That Defined the Building
Elsewhere, DBR Conservation teams undertook fine, specialist works, including the conservation repair of the Mayflower weathervane and the restoration of internal decorative plaster panels within one of the atriums. These quieter elements, often overlooked, were treated with the same care as the more visible façades.
Above the Streets
At roof level, DBR Leadwork teams repaired and renewed roof gullies, lead flashings, decorative downpipes, and hoppers vital systems woven into the building’s complex silhouette. The new and refurbished roof lanterns were integrated carefully above the atriums, preserving daylight while improving performance.
Working Within the Flow of the City
This was never a closed site. Liberty remained alive with visitors, staff, and pedestrians throughout the works. Bespoke scaffolding was threaded through entrances and retail routes, carefully designed to coexist with the building’s daily rhythms. At the rear elevation, glazed brickwork was repaired using specialist ceramic conservation techniques, restoring texture and sheen without disruption.
Building Through Uncertainty
The project began under uniquely challenging conditions: a live retail environment and the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic. Fire safety management was stringent, noise restrictions tightly controlled, and innovative lightboxes were introduced to mimic daylight for visitors during active works. With high-value contents and large visitor numbers, health and safety remained paramount.
Liberty, completed in December 2022, emerged renewed yet true to itself, its timber façades and details carefully restored to continue its place in London’s story for decades ahead.
