Historic restoration – Luttrell’s Tower
27 Feb 2024
Luttrell’s Tower is a three-storey, stuccoed, yellow brick folly located on the shore of the Solent, close to Eaglehurst House in Hampshire. Built circa 1780, it was designed by, and is possibly the only surviving work of, Thomas Sandby, the first Professor of Architecture at the Royal Academy.
The building has a fascinating history. Marconi, tested his radio waves between the mainland and the Isle of Wight from the here and is said to have watched the Titanic set sail from the tower. It also has a tunnel that runs from just above the beach into the cellar, so may have been used for smuggling at some point.
A grade II listed building, Lutrell’s Tower is now owned by The Landmark Trust, a British conservation charity that rescues and restores landmark buildings, transforming them into unique self-catering holiday homes. The income generated is used to repair, restore and maintain these precious buildings.
Expert restoration of historic joinery
Being located right next to the beach, Lutrell’s Tower is subject to constant and significant weathering by the salty sea air and this had taken its toll on the building. The Landmark Trust contracted Wessex Joinery to carry out repair and restoration work on the windows and doors of this important historic tower.
It was a complicated project as the tower has both oriole and serlian windows, each with curved glazing bars forming gothic shapes. The complex angles of the moldings for these are curved on plan to fit the curve of the tower walls. The meeting rails on the bay windows had broken down, so needed to be remade and joined to the stiles. In addition, the windows needed to be stripped right back in order to be worked on, including removing the glass panels, and replacing them with an exact match. Because their curves are smaller on the inside than on the outside, the windows could not be fitted from the inside.
A passion for restoration
Managing Director of Wessex Joinery, Stephen Newton, said; “We actually thoroughly enjoy working on historic restoration projects. No matter how complex we always find a way to overcome any challenges they present.
“With regards to fitting the windows, we managed to fit some from the outside, others we dismantled so as to be able to install the sashes, then reassembled the boxes before fitting. All work was carried out using traditional scarf joints which is in-keeping with the Society for the Preservation of ancient building (SPAB) guidelines.
Importantly the whole project was completed to the required deadline so that the tower could be prepared to be rented out to discerning holiday makers in order to generate income for the charity.
The Landmark Trust is really happy with the work we have done on the Lutrell’s Tower, and we are now discussing additional restoration projects that may require our input.”
Images from: https://www.landmarktrust.org.uk/search-and-book/properties/luttrells-tower-11322/#Overview