Aykley Heads House, Durham
Aykley Heads is a rambling courtyard mansion of medieval origins on the edge of the City of Durham. It has been altered and extended many times and its unpretentious exterior conceals a fine sequence of mid 18th century interiors. The house was left empty and by 1992 the most important rooms had been vandalised and the chimney pieces were stolen. Part of the building had been severely damaged by fire, the roof was missing and the walls were saturated.
Simpson & Brown was commissioned by Rivergreen Ltd to restore Aykley Heads in collaboration with Jane Darbyshire & David Kendall Architects. The first task was to salvage as many of the original features as possible from the wreckage to be re-used. The roof was replaced and a dowel system introduced to monitor the moisture levels of the walls over a period of three years. Once sufficiently dry, the plaster ceilings were conserved and the missing chimney-pieces were reinstated according to evidence provided by old photographs. An 18th century stairhall which was lost in the fire was restored, including the stair and the enriched plaster and the re-carving of its Serlian window surround.
