Restoring the Royalty of Mount Royal

Project description

Mount Royal, a stunning property built in 1860 and situated west of the charming town of Hexham, has been restored to its former glory, having been lovingly neglected over the years. In the 1930s, the property belonged to Barnardo’s and remained a children’s home for almost 50 years. With elegant features and Victorian charm, the property deserved some love and care to restore it to its former self.

This stunning property is situated in the quaint market town of Hexham, Northumberland. Home to the beautiful Sele Park, floral gardens in the town centre, and the stunning grounds of Hexham House, it’s a charming and peaceful town to reside in and is the perfect location for exploring the Northumberland countryside.

When the homeowners purchased the property over 10 years ago, their aim was to restore this historic house whilst remaining in keeping with the character and charm the property has to offer. Despite the property having features such as the dome at the front of the property, which would warrant it a listed building, the home is not listed. The property is also not in a conservation area, having missed the listing when it was a children’s home. This was beneficial as it made the restoration of the property much easier as it meant fewer planning constraints.

Restoring Victorian charm with new timber windows

Throughout the entire restoration project, the homeowners have wanted to remain respectful of the property, opting for like-for-like products, and even taking inspiration from locals who lived in the home when it was a Barnardo’s Children’s Home to get a clearer understanding of what the property used to look like to help put this lovingly neglected property back to its original 1860s style as best they could.  

The homeowners had 32 timber windows installed, consisting of casement windows and bay windows. One of the main reasons the homeowners wanted to get as close to the original windows as possible was to match the existing panelling, to ensure it would look as though it had been there all along. To match the panelling, the homeowners opted for a classic Traffic White – RAL 9016 paint for all the windows, which all featured 21mm standard astragal bars and ovolo bevelled extended frame profiles. 

A key consideration for this project was the size of some of the windows. The homeowners were advised that because of the height of some of the openings, some of the windows would be too heavy to open, due to safety and security issues. Despite some of the windows remaining fixed, the homeowners opted for a unified design approach to all the windows in the property, keeping the profiling consistent throughout. This meant that even if some were unable to open, they still followed a similar style to the ones that did to make the most of the space available and to avoid detracting from the aesthetic.

Making Conscious Choices

Throughout this restoration project, the homeowners have made a conscious effort to ‘go green’ with the property, making environmentally friendly choices throughout the renovation. Some green choices included installing solar panels on the roof of the property and opting for a hybrid heat-pump system. These green choices, especially the hybrid heat pump, meant that at least double-glazed windows were needed, as heat pumps work at their optimum when used with lower flow temperatures than what you might be used to, so having a well-insulated home was essential.

One of the most noticeable differences since the installation of the windows is the temperature change in the house. Opting for double-glazing units throughout, compared to the single-glazed units originally in place, has provided greater insulation to the home. This was especially apparent over the winter months this year compared to last.

The homeowners really noticed the difference in temperature on the staircase. They added a secondary glazing unit to the existing stained glass feature window on the staircase, which, given the size of the unit and its location, really helped improve the overall temperature in the home, whilst allowing them to keep the eye-catching stained-glass design of the original single-glazed unit.

The double glazing has also proven beneficial in the summer months, as it acts as a barrier to the sun and provides an extra layer of UV protection, preventing the furniture in the home from discolouring.

Value in Choosing Quality

Our Approved Partners, Blackthorn Timber Windows, were recommended to the homeowners by a friend who had previously used them. The homeowners wanted to use timber windows because of the quality and to match the existing windows as closely as possible. As a result, they were aware of the price difference of timber compared to timber alternatives, but they were prepared to pay more to ensure they did not compromise on quality. The couple mentioned that they noticed the vast difference in quality compared to the original windows straight away, which solidified their decision to upgrade and spend that little bit more to get quality timber windows that will last.

The homeowners were impressed with the time taken to complete the installation. Blackthorn completed the installation within three weeks, tackling a room a day, and accommodating to the homeowners’ schedules to ensure little disruption.

Almost one year on, the homeowners are still very pleased with their timber windows and how they are performing. They operate fantastically and remain in great condition, whilst providing great insulation to the home. The owners set out to restore the windows to modern day standards, whilst remaining in keeping with the character of this lovingly neglected historic building within the area to pay tribute to its charm and to what it means to people in the area – and with the help of some new timber casement windows and bay windows, they have been able to do just that.