Arson-hit historic County Durham estate on mend

Repairs have started on a fire-damaged former Catholic college in County Durham, thanks to major funding from Historic England.

Ushaw’s Junior House near Durham was hit by an arson attack last July, which resulted in significant damage to the Grade II listed building and to the roof of the adjacent Grade II* St Aloysius Chapel. 

Since the arson attack, further damage has been caused to the Junior House and St Aloysius Chapel, in part due to recent heavy storms, and the £400,000 grant from Historic England will fund emergency repair works to the roofs and masonry of both buildings, as well as the erection of a temporary roof to prevent further damage to the decorative plasterwork inside the chapel.  

The funding for this emergency work will safeguard the former college in Ushaw Moor, near Durham from further deterioration and restoration work re-started earlier this month, in the hope it will be completed by January.

Building conservation specialists Crosby Grainger Architects have been brought in to manage the critical restoration work, along with structural engineers, The Morton Partnership, and Lancashire-based UK Restoration Services who have developed a strategy to allow restoration works to begin a 12-week programme of clearance and stabilisation work. 

Repairs had originally started on St Aloysius Chapel in June before barn owls were discovered nesting in the roof space and work had to be paused to protect the fledgling owls. As the owls have now left the site, work has re-started.

Scaffolding will be erected to provide protection to the highly decorative chapel interior and allow the architects and engineers to inspect what is left. Designs for the reinstatement will then be drawn up and the whole cost of the restoration can be priced. 

Chloe Granger, director at Crosby Granger Architects and an AABC accredited conservation architect, said: “Ushaw played such an important role in the religious history of the north and with it, the most amazing collection of highly decorative Pugin chapels. 

“We are now on with emergency work to St Aloysius chapel and in the new year, we can take a good look at what damage has been caused, what needs to be done, and how we put it all back together.”

Phil Braithwaite, director of UK Restoration Services added: “UK Restoration feel privileged and proud to work on and play an important role in stabilizing and reviving the Chapel and Southeast wing. UK Restoration will complete preventative, and protection works to ensure the beautiful damaged building does not become irreparable. 

“These works play a strong part to enable the architects, Crosby Granger and structural engineers, The Morton Partnership the ability to inspect the chapel internally and put a restoration rescue plan in place for the much-loved historic building.”

Ushaw Historic House, Chapels & Gardens (also known as St Cuthbert’s College) occupies a special place in the history of the Roman Catholic Church in England. 

Following Elizabeth I’s Protestant Religious Settlement of 1559, many English Catholics went into exile, settling in the French town of Douai. In 1568, the English College was established in the town to train English priests, which it continued to do until the French Revolution. 

The college’s dissolution in 1793 and the repeal of anti-Catholic laws in England led to the opening of Ushaw College in 1808 and its role as the principal seminary for the North of England in the 19th and 20th centuries gives it a critical role in the revival of the Roman Catholic Church’s fortunes in England during this period.

Ushaw closed as a college in 2011 and opened its doors to the public, now welcoming more than 100,000 visitors every year to its Georgian country house, neo-Gothic chapels, park and gardens, on the periphery of Durham city. 

The historic house, chapels and gardens estate, now hosts a number of landmark events throughout the year, open to the public, which this year included a wedding dress exhibition, Henri Matisse collection, classic car and bike show, flower festival, as well as annual Halloween and Christmas spectaculars.  

Lucy Jenkins, co-chief executive at Ushaw said: “We are delighted to be working with Crosby Granger Architects and UK Restoration Services to begin the important work of bringing St Aloysius Chapel back into use following the devastating fire last year. 

“With their skills and expertise and the support of Historic England we are confident that we will make progress to protect the building from further damage”.  

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