Monitoring Oxburgh Hall
Published on by Natalie Taylor-Clarke
Survey Solutions delivered specialist monitoring at Oxburgh Hall, supporting scaffold stability and roof restoration at this historic moated National Trust site.
We were delighted to work on another specialist heritage project, monitoring Oxburgh Hall, near King’s Lynn, Norfolk. Built by the by the Bedingfeld family in 1482 it was handed over to the National Trust in 1952. After the unexpected collapse of a dormer window in 2016, further investigations revealed a structural weakness to the roofline. The building needed a specialist monitoring approach whilst undergoing a £6 million project to repair the roof, windows, ornate chimneys and gatehouse façade.
Specialist Monitoring for the Complex Challenges of this Major Historical Building
The Hall is surrounded by a water-filled, clay lined moat. Before any restoration work could start, a complex scaffolding structure needed to be erected around the perimeter of the Hall within the confines of the moat. Before the full scaffolding was put in place, an initial trial had to be carried out to establish how the structure would behave in the water. We were commissioned by a consulting engineering practice to devise and carry out this specialist monitoring project. Survey Solutions has a wealth of experience with Heritage Projects and were very happy to get our feet wet.
The initial trial to see how the scaffold would behave in the moat started in May 2019. Two towers erected on sandbags, were lowered by a crane into the moat to protect the moat lining and weighted down with water-filled tanks to simulate the weight of a large scaffold structure. Access to the towers at this stage was by rowing boat but once the reflective targets were in place, monitoring could be carried out from the Hall Gardens. Eight reflective targets were located onto each tower which our team monitored monthly.
Ongoing Solutions for Monitoring Oxburgh Hall
Quarterly monitoring is now being carried out manually to ensure the scaffolding remains stable and for adjustments to be made if required. It was a complex project successfully carried out through our extensive experience and technical expertise. As a result, one of the key properties in the East of England has been preserved for the enjoyment and education of future generations.
