Angelic National Trust project for Pick Everard

Pick Everard has joined forces with the National Trust to refurbish the impressive Grade II listed Angel Corner building in Bury St Edmunds.

Innovative architectural practice Pick Everard has joined forces with the National Trust to refurbish the impressive Grade II listed Angel Corner building in Bury St Edmunds.

Built in 1702 as a significant town house, this Queen Anne building has changed its use through the years, including Bury St Edmunds' Clock Museum and the Lord Mayors Parlour and until 2003, it was home to the National Trust's regional office for the East of England.

The building comprises three parts - the main house, an annex and a stable block, which is currently occupied by Christie's auctioneers and valuers.

The Angel Corner project followed Pick Everard's work for the National Trust on the conservation of an important chimney at Thorington Hall.

Pick Everard was then asked to design the refurbishment of a former coast guard station at Dunwich Heath in Suffolk, to create the Sea Watch Lookout Centre which opened to the public last July, where visitors can observe dolphins and seabirds via telescopes at the centre.

The practice was chosen for the recently completed Angel Corner refurbishment project due to its proven track record of sensitive and sympathetic work on historic buildings.

Pick Everard has maintained its commitment to the preservation of historic buildings by working closely with the National Trust's Surveyor and the Local Authorities Conservation Department.

This has provided a scheme which has conserved and maintained the historic elements of the building, whilst carefully integrating the new components and facilities in such a way that they are fully reversible.

This approach would allow the building to be more easily reinstated into a town house without detriment to the historic fabric, should this be required in the future.

An example of this in practice involved building a new floor over original, but severely damp penetrated brick paviers on the ground floor of the annexe.

To preserve the old floor in its original state and allow for the new construction work to be fully reversible in future, a lime-based screed was laid over the bricks and then a proprietary breathable membrane used, to provide a 'stop gap' isolator membrane.

To allow for ventilation, new timber skirtings were offset from the perimeter walls with spacers.

Architect Mike Fox at Pick Everard said, "Pick Everard has worked on several projects for the National Trust and is honoured to have been chosen to refurbish this important local building.".

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