SUPPLEMENTARY DESIGN AND ACCESS STATEMENT (revision B)
FOR WORKS AT
THE SHRUBBERY, STOURPORT ROAD, HARTLEBURY, WORCS.
BRIEF HISTORY:
The Shrubbery is an early 19th century dwelling set well back from the road on the outskirts
of the village of Hartlebury. It is set within mature gardens of trees and large shrubs,
consequently the property is very secluded from public view. It is built over four floors,
including a cellar, and has single storey wings to either side of the central three bay frontage.
The dwelling is a Grade II listed building that lies within the Hartlebury Conservation Area.
Though the description on the Statutory List states “Stucco on brick” as the basic
construction, the original external walls are in fact of ashlar red sandstone that has been
painted during the 20th century. There is photographic evidence dating from the early 20th
century (already submitted separately) that the property was originally unpainted and has
therefore spent over half its life as a sandstone residence not in its current form as a white
painted villa. It is not known exactly when the property was first painted, but it must clearly
have been before being listed in March 1969 due to its description at that time.
PAST ALTERATIONS:
It is clear from the elevations that the property has undergone a series of alterations.
Though the front (north) elevation appears to be the original construction of red sandstone
blocks, the side and rear elevations show various patches of painted brickwork within the
original sandstone walls. Fortunately the most affected elevations are to the west and south,
which are the least public faces of the property.
It is possible that the dwelling was painted following the unsympathetic use of brickwork
rather than sandstone during 20th century alterations. The visual effect of painting has been
to give the impression from a distance that there have been no alterations made to the
building. However, even from a distance this is really only an impression since slightly
closer inspection quickly reveals the extent of the insertions and alterations.
Though it is noted that other sandstone buildings in the Hartlebury area have been affected
by Masonry Bees, resulting in holes within the sandstone, there is currently no indication that
The Shrubbery has been affected. There are no holes in the painted sandstone and no
surface indentations to indicate that any holes have previously been filled in and then
painted over. It is not thought therefore that this building has been painted as a preventative
measure relating to Masonry Bees.
IMPACT OF EXTERNAL PAINT ON STRUCTURE OF PROPERTY:
The external walls have been painted with a modern external masonry paint that has been
reasonably well maintained and gives a good overall impression. The sandstone walls on
Page | 1
closer inspection are suffering from surface degradation and are becoming friable. The most
likely reason for this is that water and salt are trapped in the surface layer of the stone
behind the paint. This is because the paint is not of a breathable type and therefore is not
able to allow water and salts trapped within the external stone walls and lime mortar to
naturally evaporate.
In addition there is evidence of damp penetrating into the interior of the house, despite it
having been drylined in the 1980’s, and the lime mortar joints in between the stone blocks
are breaking down beneath the paint layers, again due to the trapped water behind the paint.
If the paint remains on the stonework, the trapped water will not evaporate and the decay of
the stonework will continue, ultimately causing a much greater loss of the historic fabric and
potentially reducing the structural integrity of the external walls.
PROPOSED REMEDY
Once the structure of the stone surface reaches this stage of decay it is necessary to
remove the paint and loose surface material and allow the stone to dry out naturally. The
stone will not be loose to a consistent depth and will generally leave an uneven surface to
the remaining stone. It is also important to ensure that the lime mortar joints are clear of
paint and are therefore able to act as a wick to draw out the water from the stonework.
With the relatively recent change in ownership of The Shrubbery, the new owners propose to
have is remedial work carried out to restore the building to its original breathable
construction, thus reducing, and potentially eliminating, further outbreaks of damp within the
structure. This is clearly of benefit both to the historic fabric and to the occupants of the
property.
The method of restoring the stonework will involve:
1. Removal of the harmful masonry paint
2. Raking out, by hand, and repointing of the joints with lime mortar
Once the walls have been allowed to dry out naturally over a period of several months, it
may be appropriate to repaint all or part of the walls with a limewash or mineral-based paint,
particularly those elevations where brickwork has been inserted into the original stonework.
The extent and need for this phase and the most appropriate paint will be discussed and
agreed with the local authority and English Heritage as necessary at the time.
REMOVAL OF PAINT:
The Shrubbery is a relatively large building, all of which has been painted with the
inappropriate masonry paint. It is proposed to utilise an appropriate alkali-based, poulticetype paint remover to remove the layers of detrimental paint thus revealling the sandstone
beneath. The poultice would be applied to a wetted wall for the best results. A small sample
area, in an unobtrusive location, will be produced using this method, to enable agreement
with the local authority, before the main work is carried out. Once the poultice has been
applied it will remain in position for several hours before it is thoroughly washed off.
The newly exposed stone will harden within approximately 12 months as the stone dries out
and will then be even less likely to be affected by Masonry Bees, which prefer softer stone
that is already beginning to decay.
Page | 2
REPOINTING OF JOINTS:
The stonework joints will need to be raked out carefully using hand tools to enable new lime
mortar to be inserted. No mechanical means will be used to rake out the joints.
The nature of the red sandstone will require either a mortar mix (1:2.5 or 1:3) of lime putty
and sand or a mix of naturally hydraulic lime (NHL 2) and sand, the latter being the stronger
mortar of the two which may be considered too strong for the particular stone. The mix will
be agreed with the local authority prior to use.
SUMMARY:
It is our opinion that the procedure given above is the most appropriate way of removing the
damaging masonry paint from this relatively large building, without being detrimental to the
underlying red sandstone. It will prevent the building from suffering further stone decay by
allowing the trapped water to naturally evaporate, thus re-establishing the natural regulation
of water within the construction.
The work will be carried out by an experienced stone mason who has and is working on
several other prestigious buildings. He has worked successfully with many local
Conservation Officers for many years and is currently also working with English Heritage.
Sarah Lowe
BSc(Hons), DipArch, PGDipHistEnvCons
Listed Building Solutions
3 August 2010
07784 551745
Page | 3