saltwell towers gateshead.pdf - Public Architecture

Saltwell Towers,
Gateshead
7
The grade 2 listed building Saltwell Towers is the centrepiece
of Saltwell Park, a large Victorian landscaped park with
associated buildings located in the centre of Gateshead.
The Towers was originally built around 1860 by a stain
glass entrepreneur named William Wailes as his family
home. Until the mid point of the twentieth century the
building had been used as a museum. However, over
the last forty years the building had fallen into disrepair
leaving only three external walls requiring significant
restoration and stabilisation work. The Council initially
looked into the extent and cost of restoration work with
its consultants to determine the estimated cost for the
work. This is when the opportunity of bidding for
Heritage Lottery Funding (HLF) was investigated which
would afford a much grander project including
restoration of the whole park. Gateshead Council
successfully secured a grant from the HLF to carry out
restoration works to Saltwell Park.
As part of the HLF consultation process a series of
meetings were held over the design period for all
Saltwell projects to discuss proposals put forward
by Design - the Council’s in-house design team.
Representatives from various organisations attended
the meetings and provided advice on all schemes.
The organisations were the Tyne and Wear Building
Preservation Trust, North East Civic Trust, English
Heritage, The National Trust, The Garden History
Society, Northumbria Gardens Trust and Tyne and
Wear Specialist Conservation Team.
SCALA
CIVIC BUILDING of the YEAR
2005
Saltwell Towers
Gateshead Metropolitan Borough Council
Sponsored by NPS Property Consultants Ltd.
Winner of the SCALA
Civic Building of the
Year Award 2005
Photo: Gateshead Council Design- Phil Snow
West elevation before restoration
It was agreed between Design and the HLF that
the exterior of the building would be restored.
This involved conservation and restoration of elements
such as windows, walls, parapets and turrets, roofs
and spires and surrounding landscape. The interior
would provide a facility for the community and
due to this adjustment in function it should contrast
with its exterior which could be reflected in the
design. Therefore, a modern insertion has been
formed, including a cafe at ground floor level, with
an interactive exhibition area at first floor level.
Ancillary accommodation has also been provided
Credits
Design Team
Gateshead Council - Design T: 0191 433 3000
Architect: Luke Gardner
Architectural Assistant: John Paget
Quantity Surveyor: Ian Willey
Structural Engineer: Colin Reed
Mechanical Engineer: Terry Edwards
Electrical Engineer: Andrew Smith
Landscape Architect: Crawford Burton
Planning Supervisor: Ian Waugh
Clerk of Works: Peter Alderson
Contractor
Gateshead Council - Local Environmental Services
T: 0191 433 7273 contact - Steve Morrison
Access Consultant
Gateshead Access Panel
T: 0191 433 3368 contact - Darren Ramshaw
Conservation Consultant
Simpson & Brown Architects
T: 0131 555 4678 contact - John Sanders
Landscape Historian
Fiona Green T: 01207 521887
Subcontractors/Suppliers
Graciela Ainsworth- specialist plasterwork
T: 0131 555 1294 contact - Graciela Ainsworth
Chris Topp and Company Limited - specialist ironwork
T: 01845 501415 contact - Chris Topp
Classic Masonry Ltd. - specialist masonry work
T: 0191 257 6666 contact - Mike Moody
Bridget Jones Glass - glass artwork
T: 0191 261 4844 contact - Bridget Jones
MGM Ltd. - early stabilization works
T: 0191 240 2856 contact - Lance Rainey
For a list of the awards
please refer to the end
of this article.

Saltwell Towers, Gateshead 9
Photo: Gateshead Council Design- Phil Snow
Scheme Report
The aim of the restoration works was to maintain as
much of the original construction as possible. However,
a significant amount of the original brickwork from the
turrets and parapets had been lost and new brickwork
had to be selected to match the existing in the various
colours required. All new brick laying, rebuilding of the
existing walls and re-pointing was carried out using
lime mortar and the various colours required were
agreed with English Heritage.
“All metal work
throughout the
turrets was
restored using
traditional methods
and materials.”
Photo: Gateshead Council Design- Phil Snow
SE elevation with modern insertion
for the Park Manager and his staff. The eastern face
of the building had completely collapsed and originally
was the location of the servant quarters. A new
modern façade would be provided, the design of
which would represent the configuration of the
existing building and the construction having a
reference to the existing traditional materials.
The whole of the original interior to the building had
fallen into ruin leaving nothing to conserve. However, it
was still very important for the concept of the new
interior to allow the internal spaces to be as open as
possible to allow visitors to appreciate the various
original windows and the views that they provide.
The ancillary accommodation is tucked into the east
of the building, while the public areas can take
advantage of the volume of the space. The building
has a small footprint in comparison to its height,
intended by Wailes to give the building prominence.
In order to emphasise this, the new stairs are positioned
in the centre of the building with a curving, glazed
screen commissioned from the artist Bridget Jones.
Practical Completion of the project was achieved on
25th April 2004.
Glazed screen by Bridget Jones Glass
A conservation contractor was used for all rebuilding
and re-pointing. Due to brickwork and masonry
restoration being a major part of the conservation
works Gateshead Council Design attended a series of
seminars at the Scottish Lime Centre (SLC). The SLC
then provided the necessary mortar specifications to
use as part of the contract information.
Details for all of the roof re-construction were
discussed with the conservation consultant in order
that timber structures, slating etc. matched the
original. All metal work throughout the turrets was
restored using traditional methods and materials.
Missing sections of masonry were replaced by a
stonemason using traditional methods and materials.
Internally, a conservation plasterer restored a section
of the original ceiling plasterwork.
All disciplines involved in production of the contract
information (excluding the conservation consultant)
are part of Gateshead Council ensuring an efficient
use of resources. To promote forward planning
the conservation consultant proposed a series of
sub-contractors who would be appropriate for the
conservation work. The immediate surrounding
landscape restoration was included within the main
building contract. Gateshead Council’s Design worked
with a landscape historian to establish the details for
the final scheme as part of the HLF agreement.
The major conservation achievement was in restoring
and conserving the existing parts of the building.
The existing three façades, which were the only
remaining parts of the building, were extremely
unstable. The original brickwork had corroded to an
extent that water could pass through with ease.
The head sections of existing timber windows acted
as lintels to support all masonry above, which had
completely rotted necessitating a structural
scaffolding system to stabilise the walls and support
all window heads enabling the safe operation of the

Saltwell Towers, Gateshead 11
Photo: Gateshead Council Design- Phil Snow
“A stand-alone
structure was
inserted to support
the roof, first and
ground floor
and new eastern
façade...”
SW elevation after restoration
conservation work. The interior face of the brickwork
was removed locally and replaced with more
substantial engineering brickwork and all heads of
windows were braced with insitu concrete lintels.
Externally all brickwork was re-pointed. Some of
the original windows were retained and restored
by adding new sections of timber and refitted.
However, the majority of windows had rotted beyond
repair and required replacement.
Due to the degraded state of the walls there was a
concern about how the new floors and roof could be
located and supported as the existing walls could not
support any built-in construction to transfer load down
to the foundations. A stand-alone structure was
inserted to support the roof, first and ground floor and
new eastern façade, which also stabilised the external
walls by structurally tying them locally at every floor
and roof level.
The original walls are solid wall construction with no
thermal insulation. Due to the porosity of the original
brickwork a new cavity wall construction was installed.
This included insulation to improve the building’s
thermal performance with a ventilated cavity and the
interior face of brickwork lined with a vertical damp
proof membrane to combat any water penetration.
The mechanical services installation is controlled by a
building management system located in the Council’s
Civic Centre; however, local controls allow fine-tuning of
the system. The public areas use a variable refrigeration
volume (VRV) system, which uses non-ozone depleting
refrigerant to heat and cool the space, which is an
energy efficient method of air control.
A full maintenance manual has been compiled which
contains the methods of construction and materials
throughout the building. The client who occupies the
building holds this and it will be referred to for any future
maintenance. Gateshead Council holds the ownership
of Saltwell Park and Saltwell Towers. Design and the
original contractor Local Environmental Services will
carry out any further work to maintain continuity.
The occupier of the building is Saltwell Park
Management. As part of the public domain there
is a cafe, which is franchised to a private catering firm
and open all day. The building is currently used to
exhibit local artists and hold events involving the local
community. There is also an interactive provision,
which describes the history of Saltwell Park and
William Wailes.
The building was opened to the general public at the
start of the summer and the client has been inundated
with visitors. After the summer the cafe area is still
very popular and the local community has embraced
the building once again. The younger generations love
the modern feel to the interior and appreciate the
older more traditional exterior. The older generations

Saltwell Towers, Gateshead 13
tend to remember the building as a museum and are
absolutely delighted that a piece of their past has
been brought back to life and the surrounding area
reinstated to its former glory.
The building has been recognised as a success
by the Council and it is now thought that the location
would be ideal for evening events where the whole
building can be utilised for various functions. It is also
hoped that the building and grounds can be used
for a venue to perform marriages and offer a place
for receptions.
The conservation work has reinvigorated an area
which had fallen into disrepair for a long time.
It has brought an important structure back to life
and provided a new facility, which is utilised and
enjoyed by the local community and people outside
the area. Feedback tells us that the scheme is a
welcomed return and the building looks fantastic
within its landscape.
Scheme Costs
The overall budget for the restoration of Saltwell Park
was £9.3m. The funding has been organised so that
the Heritage Lottery Fund, through the Urban Parks
Scheme, provides 75% of the overall budget and
Gateshead Council provides the remaining 25%.
The capital cost of the Saltwell Towers project is £3m,
which includes initial investigations, conservation,
restoration and refurbishment works.
“The building has
been recognised
as a success by
the Council and it
is now being
considered that
the location would
be ideal for evening
events...”
Contract sum analysis:
Substructure 54,878.07
Frame 13,237.14
Upper Floors 43,907.26
Roof 162,025.88
Stairs 81,305.32
External Walls 137,919.49
Windows and External Doors 119,824.35
Partitions 85,142.67
Wall Finishes 14,377.69
Floor Finishes 85,094.78
Ceiling Finishes 31,546.97
Fittings and Furnishings 326,681.37
Sanitary Fittings 12,928.17
Mechanical Services 180,031.30
Electrical Installation 130,944.89
Lift 44,000.00
BWIC Services 5,264.81
External Works 246,182.39
Preliminaries 161,297.71
Contingencies 177,500.00
Total 2,114,090.26
The SCALA Civic Building of the Year Awards 2005
were presented at the Presidential Dinner in Liverpool
on 4 November. The standard of entry was high and
for the first time awards were made in a new Small
Project category. The list of awards follow:
Civic Building of the Year:
Saltwell Towers
Client: Gateshead Council
Runner - Up:
Kingsmead Primary School
Client: Cheshire County Council
Civic Building of the Year: Small Project Category
The Life Boat Station, Mudeford
Client: The RNLI
Runner - Up:
The Harbour Master’s Office, New Quay
Client: Ceredigion County Council
Commended Projects:
Sure Start Links 4, Children’s Centre
Client: Kirklees MBC
Waterside Special School
Client: Portsmouth City Council
Middleton Combined School
Client: Milton Keynes Council
Lilian Baylis School
Client: London Borough of Lambeth
The Crown & County Courts, Exeter
Client: The Lord Chancellor’s Department
The Liverpool Blue Coat School
Client: The Liverpool Blue Coat School Foundation
See page 34 for SCALA
2005 Travel Bursary awards.
The Civic Building of the Year Award is sponsored by NPS Property Consultants Ltd.