A decade in the making: Westminster Hall receives Europa Nostra Award for ‘Conservation and Adaptive Reuse’

October 8, 2024 by Donald Insall Associates

The conservation of Westminster Hall was crowned one of the winners for the ‘Conservation and Adaptive Reuse’ category at the Europa Nostra Awards ceremony last night.

For over 60 years the Europa Nostra Awards have recognised outstanding heritage conservation initiatives across Europe. Last night, Insall practice director Patrick Duerden and senior architect Bethany Redmond attended the ceremony at the Romanian Athenaeum in Bucharest to accept the award.

An entrance to the heart of British politics

Today, the Hall is the public entrance to the Houses of Parliament, but in 2010 it was in a poor state of repair – its architectural surfaces veiled in dust and grime accumulated over centuries. The project’s objectives were to repair the built fabric of the Hall and clean it to improve its architectural presentation.

From 2010 – 2020 Insall and Parliament’s Strategic Estates Team worked closely on the first non-reactive repair and conservation project at Westminster Hall in a century. Work comprised of three phases, including stonework repairs to the north wall; the installation of a stained-glass window in the 14th century North Window; cleaning of the internal masonry walls and windows; and finally careful conservation of the 14th-century hammerbeam roof and lantern.

We thoroughly enjoyed the work and careful research undertaken as a part of this project in collaboration with the wider team. Congratulations to the wider design team:

Client: UK Parliament Strategic Estates

Structural engineer: Alan Baxter ltd

Contractor (phase 1): Skillington Workshop

Contractor (phase 2): DBR (London) ltd

Contractor (phase 3): Mitie Projects

Masonry sub-contractor (phase 3): DBR ltd

Joinery Company no.1 (phase 3 hammerbeam roof and lantern): Dolmen Conservation Carpenters

Joinery Company no.2 (phase 3 lantern vaulting): Sands & Randall Carpenters

Wood supplier (phase 3): Dolmen Conservation Carpenters

Window glazing/leaded lights (phases 1 and 3): Reyntiens Glass Studio

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