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Wakehurst Place
Mansion Roof
1 / 5
Wakehurst Place is a rare meeting of architecture, landscape, and scientific heritage. The 16th century mansion was originally built by Sir Edward Culpeper and later transformed in the early 20th century by Gerald Loder, 1st Baron Wakehurst. After purchasing the estate in 1903, Loder devoted 33 years to shaping its expansive gardens, laying the foundations for what would become one of the most important botanical landscapes in the country.
Client
Royal Botanic Gardens Kew
Dates
22 Aug 2022
—
20 Aug 2024
Location
West Sussex
Grade listing
Grade I
Fabric
Lead
Slate
Horsham Stone
Clay Tiles
In the Care of National Institutions
DBR was appointed to undertake major conservation works to the mansion, working within a site of exceptional heritage value and public importance. The project required close coordination with the National Trust and Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, ensuring that every intervention met the highest conservation standards while supporting Wakehurst's ongoing public and research activities.
The works were delivered under a JCT intermediate Works Contract with Contractor's Design Portions, reflecting the technical complexity and responsibility of the scope.
Conservation in Full View
Wakehurst Place remained a live site throughout the project, with a busy events programme and a high volume of daily visitors. DBR carefully planned and phased the works to minimise disruption to staff and the public, ensuring the estate remained welcoming and operational at all times.
A bespoke public viewing platform was incorporated into the scaffold and temporary roof structure, allowing visitors to safely observe the conservation works in progress and enjoy elevated views across the surrounding landscape. This rare transparency turned the project itself into part of the visitor experience, bringing conservation to life.
Precision at Roof Level
The core of the project focused on extensive carpentry and leadwork re-roofing works. Roof coverings were renewed using new clay tiles alongside salvaged Horsham Stone, maintaining the historic character of the building. Associated masonry repairs were carried out to chimneys, finials, and high-level stonework, alongside broader renewal works across the roofscape.
DBR's Team fully removed and restored the existing leaded windows, undertaking detailed glazing repairs, and repaired and renewed the 18th-century decorative lead gutters and downpipes. At high level, masonry was repaired, conserved, or replaced where necessary, while fire compartmentation and the thermal performance of the roof were improved as Contractor's Design Portion elements.
The roof was fully insulated, and ventilation was enhanced through the introduction of lead mushroom vents, clay vent tiles, and discreet air gaps at eaves level, improving building performance while remaining visually unobtrusive.
Craftsmanship Inside and Out
Internally, DBR Conservation undertook the consolidation and repair of the Elizabethan strapwork plaster ceiling with its decorative pendant bosses, an intricate and highly significant feature of the house. This delicate work was completed ahead of a comprehensive scheme of redecoration and flooring replacement within the State Rooms, Billiards Room, and Library.
Throughout the project, traditional materials and techniques were combined with modern conservation knowledge, ensuring the integrity of the building was preserved while improving its resilience for the future.
