Stone finds its head for heights on North East tourist attractions
Darlington specialist restoration and high-level maintenance company, Stone Technical Services, has secured a number of new contracts to carry out vital work on some of the North East’s most historic buildings.
Specialist technicians from Stone, which is a UK leader in its field, are working across County Durham, Tyneside, Wearside and Northumberland to complete a series of maintenance programmes for buildings dating back thousands of years which play an important role in the region’s heritage, attracting thousands of visitors every year.
In County Durham, Stone is completing low-level stonework inspections using its specialist laddered access systems on Finchale Priory. The 13th Century priory, at Framwellgate Moor near Durham City, is on the site of a retired pirate’s hermitage and served as a holiday retreat for monks from Durham Cathedral.
In Sunderland, housing association Gentoo has engaged Stone to complete repairs related to water damage on the outside of high rise flats and, in Northumberland, Stone’s experts are completing high-level stonework inspections on Berwick Castle, which dates back to the 12th Century.
On Newcastle Quayside, Stone is carrying out a project on English Heritage’s regional headquarters. Bessie Surtees House is a five storey 16th and 17th Century merchant’s house. Stone is ensuring the safety of the eyebolts, used to secure safety harnesses during roof maintenance work, by completing a thorough inspection. Stone is carrying out the same work at Tynemouth Priory in North Tyneside.
Stone Technical Services works all over the UK on many high profile buildings and structures- such as St Paul’s Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and Lindisfarne- and for organisations such as English Heritage and the National Trust, as well as for well known industrial clients such as INEOS Plant Utilities and Teesside Power Station.
Stone employs a team of 27 across its headquarters in Darlington and also at offices in Middlesex and central London.
Stone specialises in all aspects of high level maintenance, lightning conductor installation and steeplejack services as well as restoration and masonry refurbishment projects on churches, museums, clock towers, castles, spires and historic buildings.
Managing director, Dave Stone said: “Maintaining the heritage of attractions in the North East is some of the most important work to us because of our roots in the region. The team feels privileged to be able to work on structures dating back thousands of years which require a unique approach and careful repair.”
