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Morely Old Hall Grade 1 listed renovation

Project history, description and scope

Morley Old Hall is a Grade I-listed moated manor house built in the sixteenth century. The Hall itself was designed by Sir Jonathan Sedley (an architect to both Henry VII and Henry VIII), started in 1545 and it remained in the Sedley family until 1790s. Purchased by our clients in 2017, their dream was to have their wedding, planned for September 2018, in the hall grounds.  We were appointed in March 2018 to act as the clients Contract Administrator and Quantity Surveyors for the full internal refurbishment of the Hall, annex and three cottages.

Action is the foundation to success

With a wedding date already fixed and a short procurement period, the key to making this project successful was getting the right team together. We helped the client select a suitable contractor with the right experience, skilled in-house labour and above all, a contractor who approaching everything with a can-do attitude, including buying into the programme demands.

Once the works were underway, careful effective communication and decision making was key. With the clients being based in London we hosted the process remotely to ensure design decisions and material selections were made to meet the demands of the site programme.

Delivering the unknown

It is not uncommon to find that a listed building’s condition is worse than one thought, or to expose features that were previously unknown.  Mindful of this, it came as no surprise that we found out more about a structure as we progressed through the works, sometimes presenting us with daily obstacles to solve.  Led by our proactive Project Management approach, everybody on the design and delivery team worked tirelessly and positively to find the right solution for both the building and the client to keep the dream alive.  This was a standout achievement for this project.

The dream wedding…

The project was successfully delivered on time and the client was able to enjoy their wedding within the grounds of the hall with guests staying in both the hall and cottages. The level of detail and finish is of an extremely high quality and fitting to this project, preserving the hall and surrounding buildings for future generations.

Contract Value: £1,200,000
Form of Contract: JCT Intermediate Form of Building Contract with Contractors Design 2016 Appointment: 2018
Duration: 16 weeks
Client: Name Withheld