Location; Hull
Completion Date; 2025
The A63 is the main arterial route into Hull bisecting the City Centre and the historic Fruit Market and marina. As part of extensive infrastructure works to improve the flow of traffic the road is in the process of being widened and sunk below ground level to create a new bypass. To facilitate the works a number of existing buildings were compulsory purchased for demolition, which included the Grade II listed Earl de Grey – a former public house serving dock workers when Hull was still a thriving port. Historic England supported the demolition on the understanding that the building would be carefully dismantled – notably its emerald green faience tile facade and rebuilt alongside the Grade II listed Castle Chambers a short distance away.
CASTLE BUILDINGS
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Castle Chambers is one of the city’s oldest landmark buildings that sits alongside the A63 and has for the last two decades been shrouded behind an extensive scaffolded hoarding whist it has sat redundant. Sadly during this period the building had been sat redundant and was heavily vandalised and was extensively damaged where materials had been stripped – notably its lead flashings and leaded windows. Wykeland acquired the building as part of a wider development to include the provision of a new hotel with the long term vision of creating a new public square framed by the historic pairing of Castle Chambers and the Earl de Grey.
Working with listed buildings is always a careful balance of mitigating potential harm and ensuring their future longevity for the benefit of generations to come. When extending or altering such sensitive buildings it is important that any proposals be sympathetic and honest to their original character whilst being legible as a new addition. Demolition and rebuilding of a listed building is a rare occurrence and being rebuilt alongside another listed structure has even greater consequence as you don’t wont to damage or interfere with the setting of the other building detrimentally.
In this instance rather than divorcing the two buildings a discreet glazed link has been introduced to connect the two. The double height link is set back from the front façade to create a deep recess and shadow break allowing each building to shine in their own right. At the rear the glazed link expands to create a new standing seam metal clad extension to accommodate a new circulation core which serves both buildings.
The rebuilt Earl de Grey repurposes salvaged materials and architectural features from the original building – notably its faience tile façade, windows and doors. Where salvage was not possible, sympathetic materials including lime render, reclaimed bricks and new slate tiles have been specified to complete the build.
Castle Chambers unlike the Earl de Grey had the majority of its interior architectural features intact and as part of the restoration works these features have been repaired and missing details replaced to create a cohesive finish. At ground floor the original timber glazed partitions have been restored, creating a suite of high-ceilinged rooms that open onto a generous open hall with feature leaded windows to the west. Parquet floors and wall panelling have been reinstated to create an impressive space that retains the historic character of the original building.
Externally the brickwork has been sensitively cleaned using an appropriate Torc system and the windows replaced with tradition steel windows complete with leaded top lights. The feature windows to the stairwell have been leaded in their entirety and are once again the prominent feature of the building sat alongside the imposing stone framed entrance into the building. The curved brickwork that forms the junction between Castle Street and Waterhouse Lane is emphasised further by the newly replaced curved slate roof with diminishing courses that sits above. This sensitive project has successfully restored this once neglected building back to its former glory at the gateway into the city.
GALLERY
