The work at this 1878, mock Tudor style, Grade II listed building initially consisted of redecorating the outside of the timber-frame section of what is now the main school building. However, more extensive works were required after closer examination and opening up.

The original construction appears to have included brick infill panels with lime render on the weathering face. Some of these panels had been replaced over the years with a cementitious render. The infill panels had also been painted with modern, plastic-based masonry paint. The exposed oak frame had been treated with various non-porous, vapour-closed applications. Silicon sealant had been applied around the perimeter of most of the panels in a bid to stop water ingress through the cracks. As a result of using these inappropriate materials, which failed to allow the walls and frame to evaporate moisture freely, water ingress and trapped moisture had resulted in significant deterioration of the timber frame and window elements in numerous areas.

We specified that all the modern masonry paint should be removed, using a combination of the Doff system and chemical strippers. Repairs to the timber frame and windows could then be attended to, using matching materials. Most of the cement-rendered panels were rerendered using hydraulic-lime render. The whole of the building was then slurry coated with a hydraulic-lime mix, including over the oak timber frame itself to fill any cracks, fissures and shakes etc., before being rubbed back to re-expose the frame once more. The panels were then redecorated with several coats of hydraulic-lime paint with yellow ochre pigment. Hydraulic was selected because of the exposure level of the site and also because some of the panels were of a cementitious nature, and non-hydraulic lime-wash can have adherence problems in such situations.