English Heritage Stott Park Bobbin Mill – Refurbishment of Bathroom Facilities
Relocation and refurbishments to the existing male and female bathroom facilities and the creation of a new DDA compliant bathroom.
Novus Property Solutions were awarded a contract to refurbish the existing male and female bathroom facilities and create a new DDA compliant bathroom.
What is Stott Park Bobbin Mill?
Located next to Lake Windermere in Cumbria, Stott Park Bobbin Mill is an extensive working mill that, as the name suggests, has manufactured millions of wooden bobbins throughout its nearly 200-year history.
Today, the mill is a tourist attraction and is owned by English Heritage.
Despite there being many bobbin mills located in and around the area, Stott Park is the only working bobbin mill left in the Lake District, and was actually still operating up until as late as 1971.
Our Relationship with English Heritage
Although Novus have worked on a number of historic buildings over the years, this was a first project working with English Heritage.
We were delighted to be awarded the contract and are hopeful that this will be the first of many schemes in the years to come.
What works did Novus carry out?
Novus were contracted to:
- Relocate the bathroom facilities to a different building
- Complete refurbishment of bathroom facilities (male and female)
- Develop a new DDA (Disability Discrimination Act) compliant toilet
What makes this project stand out in particular?
This was not your usual run-of-the-mill (pardon the pun) project as it centred around an historic, schedule monument building.
As such, there were additional considerations to be taken into account when our teams were working on the project.
Specialised materials and fixings were required in order to comply with regulations associated with working on this type of building.
Additional features such as the exposed stone walls in the bathrooms were incorporated into the design to give it a more authentic feel (shown in the image reel).
What additional challenges were faced during the project?
Alongside the Graded building restrictions, Novus faced additional challenges.
Firstly, that Bobbin Mill became a “live environment” meaning that English Heritage customers were present while the works were taking place.
During the first national lockdown in March 2020, ramblers would visit Stott Park despite the site being officially closed to the public. This means that additional safety measures had to be put in place to keep the public away from the bathroom refurbishments.
Secondly (and predictably) the project was impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic and was temporarily closed down halfway through the schedule.
Additionally, re-commencement of works was also delayed due to supplier difficulties owing to the pandemic.
Finally, due to the relatively remote location of the mill and tight access roads around the lake district, the project proved to be a significant logistical challenge in supplying the project with materials.
Project delivery
Novus delivered the finished bathrooms in October 2020.
The high standard of the finish was well received by the client and Novus have receieved some excellent feedback as a result.
Client Feedback
Although we were hit with the pandemic shortly after commencing onsite, the team quickly adapted to the changing situation and worked closely with us to ensure that the works were completed as soon as it was possible. Novus also responded well to the challenges posed by working on a Schedule Monument, delivering work with the high level of care and sensitivity required.
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