Wed Dec 18
With the final release of the last two remaining apartments at Richmond Hill’s stunning Grade II listed Star and Garter building, we thought this was an ideal time to revisit TRC’s significant involvement in this three year £50m window restoration project.
Originally forming part of the Richmond Palace court of Charles 1st, this site then played host to a luxurious Star and Garter Hotel in the 1850s, which was regularly frequented by Thackeray, Tennyson, Dickens and Ruskin as well as members of various European Royal families. During the Great War, 2000 soldiers were billeted there during their training in Richmond Park and, after a brief period with the Red Cross, a new purpose-built building was designed by Sir Edwin Cooper R.A. to care for disabled sailors, soldiers and airmen.
This building continued to host injured service personnel and was renamed by our current monarch in 1979 to the Royal Star & Garter Home. Eventually, the Royal Star & Garter charity moved the current residents with specialised nursing needs to a state of the art care home in Surbiton. So, in 2013, property developers London Square, under the architectural direction of PDP London, began the transformation of this site into stunning luxury apartments.
There is only one word for their renovation and that is opulent! As you walk through the landscaped gardens into the airy and spacious entrance hall, you immediately see that the grand external stone pillars are echoed in the reception areas by vast marble pillars reflected on a shiny polished floor. The original huge timber sash windows let the light come flooding into the space giving a magnificent feeling of grandeur and elegance.
Of course, this is where TRC came in, because 30 of these sash windows are not the tired and draughty originals but are, in fact, beautifully recreated like-for-like heritage replacements that aesthetically look identical. Wherever cost-effective, we repaired the existing windows, refurbishing 850 sash windows and 40 pairs of timber French doors during this important project.
As TRC sash windows can be created with hardwood or softwood frames, come with three coat spray applied factory finishes, four glazing options (safety, obscured, acoustic and solar control) and are double or triple glazed, both thermal and acoustic performance is now far superior than even in the building’s heyday. Ground floor windows can be supplied with enhanced security options compliant to PAS24 and Secured By Design standards.
With over 25 years’ experience in the manufacturing of bespoke heritage windows, heritage sash windows and heritage casement windows and a proven track record in providing “like for like” replacement windows for large scale historic window restoration and Grade II listed building window restoration projects, TRC was the logical choice and we also designed, supplied and installed 50 new timber/aluminium composite windows for an additional new building in the grounds.
Our design team worked tirelessly with the developers and architects to meet their exact design requirements, to produce specific prototypes for the planning approval process, and then to craft these exact like for like replacement windows in our modern UK factory. The precise installation work was carried out by our own team of professional window installers. We also provided bespoke architectural ironmongery, supplying and installing replica brass glazing bars to the fire screens in the main entrance foyer.
Our heritage window expertise and experience was ideal for this renovation and our range of window designs already complemented both the traditional and more modern architectural styles of the refurbishment. Our team at TRC were delighted to be involved in such a significant and impressive restoration project.
If we can help you with your heritage restoration project or you would like custom-made replacement “like-for-like” slim profile double glazed sash windows, please call TRC Contracts, “Experts in Bespoke Timber Sash Windows Replacement & Restoration” on 01858 469 225 or send an email to info@trccontracts.com.
