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Woking Palace
Masonry and repair
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Woking Palace, first recorded in 1272, began as a medieval manor before rising to prominence under Henry VII, who transformed it into a royal palace in 1503. For more than a century it served as a favoured residence of the Tudor court, hosting monarchs, nobles, and royal households. By the 1680s, during the reign of Charles II, the site was abandoned, leaving its once‑grand buildings to fall slowly into ruin. Today, the surviving walls of the Tudor complex stand as rare and fragile witnesses to this long and layered history.
Client
English Heritage
Location
Woking
Grade listing
Scheduled Ancient Monument
Fabric
Stone
The First Phase: Stabilising a Fragile Structure (2016)
In 2016, DBR was commissioned to undertake essential brickwork and masonry repairs to the Tudor building walls. This initial phase focused on removing unstable bricks and rebuilding sections where feasible, always guided by heritage preservation standards. The aim was not to reinvent the structure, but to stabilise what remained, retaining as much original material as possible while ensuring the ruins could safely endure.
A Return to Site: Urgent Repairs Across the Palace (2022)
DBR was re‑engaged in 2022 to carry out urgent masonry repairs across the wider site. This second phase required a broader and more technically demanding scope, including stone matching for replacements, mortar repairs, structural steel pinning, high‑level consolidation, and mortar capping. Every intervention was carried out with sensitivity to the palace’s archaeological significance, ensuring that the work strengthened the structure without altering its historic character.
Working With the Past, Not Against It
Loose stones were reinstated in their original positions wherever they could be confidently identified. Stones with clear provenance were salvaged and stored within the vaulted building for future reference or reuse, ensuring that no historic material was lost unnecessarily. Throughout the works, progress photographs documented each stage of the conservation process, creating a detailed record for future researchers and custodians.
Where new stone was required, replacements were carefully selected to match the size, scale, and type of the original materials. In areas where multiple stone types coexisted, a common feature in Tudor construction, each replacement matched the specific type removed, preserving the patchwork authenticity of the surviving walls.
The conservation of Woking Palace reflects a commitment to protecting one of Surrey’s key historic sites. Through careful masonry repair, sensitive material choices, and respect for its archaeological significance, DBR ensured this Tudor residence’s remains will endure, weathered, evocative, and historically rich, for generations to come.
